Srinagar, Oct 12 (NVI): The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday arrested a senior assistant of the Agriculture Department in Handwara in north Kashmir for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 for the release of a subsidy bill, officials said.
The accused, identified as Irshad Ahmad Peer, was posted at the Sub-Division Agriculture Office in Handwara, the ACB said in a statement.
According to the bureau, a complaint was received alleging that the accused had demanded Rs 40,000 from the complainant for clearing a subsidy bill related to a tractor purchased by his brother under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP).
The ACB’s Baramulla unit conducted a discreet verification of the allegations and found them to be prima facie true, following which a case was registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018, on October 12.
A trap team, accompanied by independent witnesses, was subsequently constituted. During the operation, the accused was caught red-handed while allegedly demanding and accepting the bribe amount of Rs 40,000, which was recovered from his possession, the ACB said.
The accused was arrested and taken into custody, while further investigation into the case is underway, it added.—(NVI)
