STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Saturday trapped and arrested a clerk of the Tehsil Office Central, Shalteng, Srinagar, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 2,000 from a complainant.
According to an official spokesperson of the ACB, the bureau received a written complaint alleging that the complainant had been detained under preventive action under Section 126/170 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) by orders of the First Class Executive Magistrate, Tehsil Office Central, Shalteng. The complaint further alleged that a clerk posted in the office, identified as Laiq Ahmad Nath, demanded illegal gratification for removing the complainant’s detention record from the official registers.
“The accused public servant allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 2,000 for erasing the detention entry from official records. The complainant, unwilling to pay the bribe, approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau Srinagar seeking legal action,” the spokesperson said. On receipt of the complaint, the ACB conducted a discreet verification, which confirmed the demand of illegal gratification by the accused. Consequently, FIR No. 01/2026 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 was registered at Police Station ACB Srinagar, and investigation was taken up.
During the course of the investigation, a trap team was constituted. The team laid a successful trap and caught the accused clerk red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe amount of Rs 2,000 from the complainant.
“The accused, identified as Laiq Ahmad Nath, resident of Qamarwari, Srinagar, was apprehended on the spot after accepting the bribe money. All necessary medico-legal formalities were completed, and the accused public servant has been taken into custody,” the spokesperson added.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau has stated that further investigation in the case is underway to ascertain whether other officials were involved and to examine related official records.
The ACB has reiterated its commitment to zero tolerance against corruption and has urged citizens to report any instances of bribery or misuse of official position.