Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 7: Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) today arrested two officials of the PWD (R&B) Mechanical Division, North Kashmir, Baramulla, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 13,000 from a contractor for release of payment.
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According to official sources, the ACB received a complaint through its helpline on April 6 from a complainant working as a manager for a private firm registered on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal. The firm had successfully secured a tender floated by the Mechanical Division for supplying a customized vehicle for live fish transportation to the Fisheries Department in Bandipora.
The complainant stated that although the vehicle had been delivered and all billing formalities, including submission on the GeM portal and hard copies, were completed, the payment was deliberately withheld. He alleged that Mushtaq Ahmad, Senior Assistant, and Farooq Ahmad, Junior Assistant, demanded Rs 13,000 as illegal gratification to process and release the pending payment.
Acting on the complaint, the ACB conducted a discreet verification, which prima facie established the allegations. Subsequently, an FIR (Number 01/2026) was registered at Police Station ACB Baramulla under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018), along with relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
During the investigation, an ACB team laid a trap and caught both accused officials red-handed while accepting the bribe. They were immediately taken into custody after completing legal formalities.
Further investigation into the case is underway, officials said.
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