Two Irrigation Officials Trapped Accepting Rs 1 Lakh Bribe in Anantnag: ACB
Arif Rashid
Anantnag, May 21: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Thursday arrested two officials of the Irrigation Division Anantnag after allegedly catching them red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh from a complainant in connection with a land dispute case.
The accused have been identified as Nazir Ahmad Wani, Ziladar, and Bilal Ahmad Wagay, Patwari, both posted in the Irrigation Division Anantnag.
According to an ACB spokesperson, the bureau received a written complaint alleging that the officials had demanded a bribe for processing and deciding a complaint related to an alleged encroachment on government land at Ashajipora near Dabruna in Anantnag district.
During verification, it surfaced that the accused officials had initially demanded an amount equivalent to the market value of one marla of land, estimated at around ₹4 lakh, for settling the matter in favour of the complainant. Following negotiations, the demand was allegedly reduced to ₹1 lakh.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau and sought legal action against the officials. A preliminary verification conducted by the ACB reportedly revealed that the disputed land belonged to the complainant and was not state land. The inquiry also substantiated the allegations of bribery.
Subsequently, the ACB registered FIR No. 05/2026 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) at Police Station ACB Anantnag and launched an investigation.
A special trap team was constituted, which successfully apprehended both officials while they were allegedly receiving the bribe amount. The cash was recovered on the spot in the presence of independent witnesses, and both accused were taken into custody.
The ACB also carried out searches at the residences of the accused officials in the presence of Executive Magistrates and independent witnesses.
Further investigation into the case is underway.
