Baramulla, Dec 17, KNT: The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau apprehended a clerk from the Fire & Emergency Services Department, Sopore, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 4,000 in exchange for issuing a No Objection Certificate.
The accused, identified as Nisar Ahmad Wani, was caught red-handed during a sting operation, ACB said.
According to the complaint filed with the ACB, the complainant had applied for a license to open a timber sale depot in Baramulla. As part of the formalities required by the Forest Department, an NOC from the Fire & Emergency Services Department was mandatory. When the complainant approached the concerned clerk, Nisar Ahmad Wani, at the Sopore office, he initially delayed the issuance of the NOC on various pretexts. Wani eventually demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000, which was later negotiated to Rs 4,500.
The complainant was also compelled to pay Rs 1,500 via bank transfer to an unknown person, purportedly as a fee for the NOC, and was pressured to purchase equipment for the depot at inflated prices from a specific shopkeeper.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB, seeking legal action against Wani.
Following the complaint, a discreet verification was conducted by ACB Baramulla, which confirmed prima facie evidence of corruption. Subsequently, a case (FIR No. 16/2024) was registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018).
A trap team, led by a Dy.SP-ranked officer, was constituted to catch the accused in the act. During the operation, Wani was caught red-handed at the Fire Services Office in Sopore while accepting a bribe of Rs 4,000 from the complainant, even offering a Rs 500 rebate during the transaction. The bribe money was recovered on the spot in the presence of independent witnesses.
The accused clerk was arrested after completing all legal formalities. The ACB said that further investigation into the case is underway to uncover additional details. [KNT]
