New Delhi: An official of the Jammu and Kashmir’s Sheep and Animal Husbandry Department was arrested by the CBI for demanding a bribe of Rs 5 lakh and accepting Rs 50,000 from a job aspirant for a vacancy advertised in newspapers, an official said on Thursday.
Asif Ahmad Bhat, section officer, demanded the bribe from Gulzar Hussain, a resident of Poonch, who was seeking an appointment as stock assistant in the department.
After Gulzar Hussain’s son lodged a complaint with the CBI, ACB, Jammu, the complaint was verified by the anti-corruption agency and the accused was trapped while he was negotiating the bribe amount, an official said.
A case was registered on Wednesday on allegations that the accused demanded a bribe of Rs 5 lakh for issuing/processing the case of Gulzar Hussain. During negotiations, the accused asked the job seeker to pay Rs 50,000 as an initial bribe amount through online UPI on a mobile number.
The CBI’s FIR said that Bhat told the complainant that once a favourable decision is taken regarding his appointment, the accused would seek the remaining bribe amount.
Bhat was arrested during the UPI transaction on the mobile number provided by the accused and his arrest was followed by CBI searches at his home in Jammu.
An official said the accused was subsequently arrested and presented before Special CBI Court, anti-corruption cases, Jammu.
The trial court on Thursday sentenced Bhat to judicial custody for 14 days, said an official.
Searches were also conducted at the office of Bhat at the Department of Sheep and Animal Husbandry, Civil Secretariat, Jammu.
The CBI FIR registered against Bhat showed that he has been booked under section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (Amendment Act 2018). He has been accused under penal provisions for demand of undue advantage by public servant.
Under Section 7 of the Act, a public servant who accepts or obtains an undue advantage, or attempts to do so, is punishable with imprisonment for a term of at least three years, which may extend to seven years, and is also liable to a fine.
(IANS)
