Srinagar, Jan 10: The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Patwari Riyaz Ahmad Khan of Halqa Rakh Soothu, Budgam, after catching him red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from a complainant seeking routine revenue documents.
The case originated from a written complaint received by ACB Srinagar, in which the complainant alleged that he had applied to revenue authorities for issuance of a revenue extract and bank lien certificate for property located at Rakh Soothu, BK Pora. These documents were required for processing a bank guarantee.
The complainant stated that when he approached the concerned patwari, Riyaz Ahmad Khan, for assistance, the official refused to process the request unless paid a bribe ranging between Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000. Expressing his opposition to corruption, the complainant approached ACB Srinagar seeking legal action against the accused revenue official.
Following receipt of the complaint, ACB Srinagar conducted discreet verification, which corroborated the complainant’s allegations and confirmed that the patwari was indeed demanding illegal gratification for performing his official duties.
Accordingly, ACB Srinagar registered Case FIR No. 02/2026 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, against Riyaz Ahmad Khan at Police Station ACB Srinagar, and immediately took up investigation.
A dedicated trap team was constituted as part of the operation. The team successfully laid a trap and apprehended the accused patwari red-handed at the spot while he was demanding and accepting the tainted bribe amount of Rs 10,000 from the complainant in exchange for processing the revenue documents.
After securing the bribe money as evidence and completing all necessary medico-legal formalities, including recovery procedures and witness statements, the accused public servant was formally taken into custody.
The operation demonstrates ACB Srinagar’s commitment to acting swiftly against corruption complaints and sending a strong message to government officials demanding bribes for routine public services.
Further investigation into the matter is underway to determine if the accused patwari was involved in similar corrupt practices with other citizens or if there are additional dimensions to the case.
ACB authorities have urged citizens to report corruption fearlessly and assured confidentiality and protection for complainants coming forward against corrupt public servants.
