JAMMU, Sept 2: The Jammu & Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday arrested a Junior Assistant after allegedly catching him red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹15,000 for facilitating the issuance of a marriage certificate.
The accused has been identified as Ajay Kumar, son of late Ram Murti and a resident of Gango Chack, Gajansoo, Jammu. He is posted as a Junior Assistant in the office of the Assistant Commissioner (General), Jammu.
According to an ACB spokesperson, the bureau received a written complaint alleging that Kumar had demanded ₹20,000 from the complainant as illegal gratification for facilitating the issuance of a marriage certificate under the Special Marriage Act, 1954.
The alleged demand was subsequently reduced to ₹15,000 following negotiations, the spokesperson said.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB, following which the bureau conducted a discreet verification of the allegations. The verification allegedly substantiated the demand for illegal gratification, leading to the registration of FIR No. 11/2026 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018, at Police Station ACB Central J&K, Jammu.
A trap team was subsequently constituted to catch the accused while accepting the bribe.
During the trap operation, the ACB allegedly caught Kumar demanding and accepting ₹15,000 from the complainant. He was arrested on the spot and the alleged bribe amount was recovered from his possession in the presence of independent witnesses, the spokesperson said.
Following the arrest, the bureau also conducted searches at the accused’s residential premises in the presence of an Executive Magistrate and independent witnesses.
The ACB said further investigation into the case is underway.
