Excelsior Correspondent
SOPORE, May 27: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested a cashier posted in the office of the Executive Engineer (Xen), KPDCL Sub Transmission Division Sopore, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 9000 from a complainant for releasing his security deposit.
As per an ACB official, a complaint against Mohammad Shafi Bhat, Senior Assistant/ Cashier in the office of Executive Engineer, KPDCL Sub Transmission Division Sopore, was filed by the proprietor of M/S Print Plus, Hazratbal Srinagar, who supplied stationary items and logbooks to the Xen office in 2021.
Quoting the complaint, he said, while the bill payment against the supplied items was made, the security deposit of Rs 15560 remained pending.
Despite multiple requests, the complainant alleged that Mohammad Shafi delayed the release of the security deposit and eventually demanded Rs 10000 as bribe, he said.
Accordingly, the ACB official said, the complainant provided evidence of the bribe demand to the agency followed by which an FIR number 09/2024 under section 7 of the Prevention of the Corruption Act 1988 (amended in 2018) was registered against the cashier at Police Station Baramulla.
During the course of investigation, a specially constituted ACB team, led by DySP rank officer, caught Mohammad Shafi red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe from the complainant, he said.
While the bribe amount has been recovered in the presence of the independent witnesses, the accused has been taken into custody, added the ACB official.
Further investigation into the case is underway.
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