Kishtwar forest guard caught red handed by Anti Corruption Bureau for accepting bribe

JAMMU, June 1 — The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau trapped and arrested Vaseem Ahmad Hap, a forest guard posted in the Marwah Forest Division of Kishtwar, for demanding and accepting a bribe of 15,000 rupees.

The action was initiated after a written complaint was filed by a contractor alleging that the official, who was looking after accounts work in the office of the Divisional Forest Officer, had demanded 20,000 rupees to expedite the release of security deposits for allotted works.

Following negotiations, the accused public servant agreed to accept a reduced amount of 15,000 rupees as illegal gratification.Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the anti-graft agency for legal action.

The bureau conducted a discreet verification that established a prima facie case against the official, leading to the registration of a formal case under the Prevention of Corruption Act at the Anti-Corruption Bureau Central Police Station in Jammu.

A trap team was subsequently constituted, which caught the official red-handed while accepting the bribe amount from the complainant. The money was recovered from his possession on the spot in the presence of independent witnesses, and subsequent searches were carried out at his residential premises in the presence of an Executive Magistrate as further investigation continues.