Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, April 7

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Tuesday said it arrested two public works officials in Baramulla district for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 13,000 to release a pending payment.

In a statement, the agency said the accused Mushtaq Ahmad, a senior assistant, and Farooq Ahmad, a junior assistant were posted in the Public Works Department’s (R&B) Mechanical Division in north Kashmir.

The arrests followed a complaint from a representative of a private firm registered on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) Portal, who alleged that payment for a supplied vehicle had been deliberately delayed.

According to the complaint, the firm had secured a contract to supply a customised vehicle for live fish transportation to the Fisheries Department in Bandipora and had completed all billing formalities. 

Despite this, officials allegedly withheld payment while demanding a bribe.

The anti-corruption agency said it verified the allegations before registering a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Investigators then laid a trap and caught the two officials “red-handed” while accepting the bribe, the statement said. 

Both were taken into custody after legal formalities were completed.

The agency said further investigation is underway and urged citizens to report corruption through its helpline and other official channels.