Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 28: Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) has caught red handed Mushtaq Ahmad Sofi (Range Officer, Kuhihama Forest Division, Bandipora) while demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 10,000 for processing bill of a complainant.
“ACB received a written complaint against Mushtaq Ahmad Sofi from a contractor alleging therein that concerned officer is demanding bribe as commission of Rs 10,000 for processing his bill for release of due payments,” a spokesman of ACB said.
In his complaint, the contractor alleged that he had completed the allotted work for an amount of Rs 3,21,000 and the Forest Department has already released two bills in his favour. However, the final bill to the tune of about Rs one lakh is pending with the department from last one and half month for which concerned Range Officer Mushtaq Ahmad Sofi put a demand of bribe as his commission of Rs 15,000 for all three bills including already two released bills.
As per the complainant, the bribe amount after negotiations with accused Range Officer was settled on Rs 10,000 and in the meanwhile, he arranged Rs 10,000 and approached ACB with complaint against the officer, requesting for legal action.
“On receipt of the complaint, a case FIR Number 13/2023 was registered at Police Station ACB Baramulla and investigation was taken up. During the course of investigation, a trap team headed by a Deputy SP rank officer was constituted which laid a successful trap and caught accused public servant namely while demanding and accepting the bribe money of Rs 10,000,” the spokesman said.
He said the bribe amount was recovered from the possession of accused in presence of independent witnesses and he was immediately taken into custody after following due process as laid down under law and searches at his residence were conducted. Further investigation of the case was going on, he added.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
