Srinagar, June 05: Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau arrested a deputy forester and a forest guard for demanding and accepting Rs 11,000 bribe from a complainant.
According to a statement, the ACB received a complaint alleging that public servants namely Surinder Kumar, posted as deputy forester in the Range Office, Kalidhar, and Kewal Krishan, then forest guard with the deputy forester demanded illegal gratification for release of additional CDR.
The statemen reads that the accused persons had demanded Rs 14,000 bribe from the complainant for release of additional CDR, which was deposited by the complainant during the execution of the work namely “Construction of 126 Boundary Pillars in Compartment No. 12/K, Nada Chargiyal Forest, Kalidhar Forest Range”.
“After negotiation, the accused agreed to take Rs 11,000 (Rs 3000 for the deputy forester and rest of the amount for forest guard) bribe from the complainant for doing the needful. Since, the complainant didn’t want to pay bribe and he approached the ACB for taking legal action against the accused public servants under law,” it reads.
It added that on receipt of the complaint, a discreet verification was conducted, which confirms the demand of bribe by the public servants and accordingly, a case FIR No. 11/2025 U/S 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and section 61(2) BNS, 2023 was registered in Police Station ACB Jammu and investigation taken up.
The statement reads that during the course of investigation, a trap team laid a successful trap and the accused were caught red-handed while demanding and accepting Rs 11,000 bribe from the complainant in the presence of independent witnesses.
“The accused persons were arrested on the spot by the ACB team. The bribe money was also recovered from their possession in presence of independent witnesses. Moreover, searches were also being in the residential houses of both the accused while further investigation of is going on,” it reads. (KNO)
