JJ CORRESPONDENT
Srinagar, July 18: Two senior revenue officials were arrested by J&K’s Anti Corruption Bureau for allegedly demanding and accepting bribes, officials said on Monday.
A spokesman of ACB said it trapped and arrested Mohammad Younis Bangroo, Tehsildar Shalteng, Srinagar and Ghulam Rasool Hajam, Naib Tehsildar, Batamaloo while allegedly accepting Rs 2 lakh bribe.
The ACB received a written complaint alleging therein that Tehsildar and Naib-Tehsildar were demanding Rs 5 lakh as bribe for allowing the complaints to run their business on Nazool land transferred in their favour under Roshni Act -the Act which has been recently declared ultra vires- at Rampur, Chattabal Srinagar, while the matter is sub-judice and pending disposal before the Court of law.
“The complainants pleaded for justice and both the revenue officers demanded a bribe of Rs 5 lakh for allowing them to run their business on the particular land. The amount of bribe was settled to be paid in installments. As first installment, the complainants were asked to pay Rs 2 lakh. However, before paying the bribe amount to the accused persons, the complainants approached the Anti Corruption Bureau against the accused public servants under law,” the spokesman said.
On receipt of the complaint, a case was registered and investigation was taken up.
“During the course of investigation, a trap team was constituted. The team laid a successful trap and caught red-handed Naib Tehsildar, while demanding and accepting the bribe amount of Rs 2 lakh from the complainant as first instalment. The bribe money was recovered from the possession of the accused in presence of independent witness. Mohammad Younis Bangroo, Tehsildar Shalteng was also arrested by the ACB team,” the spokesman added.
Later, the searches were carried out at the residences and official quarters of the accused public servants, subsequent to the searches at Tehsil office, Shalteng.
“Further investigation into the case is going on,” he added. UNI
