Jammu/Anantnag, March 25, 2026: The Anti Corruption Bureau Jammu and Kashmir (ACB) on Wednesday trapped and arrested a revenue official for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
The accused, identified as Mushtaq Ahmad Bhat, posted as Naib Tehsildar Arwani in Bijbehara, was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe amount of ₹20,000 from a complainant.
According to officials, the ACB received a written complaint alleging that the officer had demanded ₹1,00,000 from the complainant’s in-laws for processing the inheritance mutation of land measuring 18 kanals in favour of his wife, three sisters-in-law, and one brother-in-law.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB seeking legal action. Acting on the complaint, the agency conducted a discreet verification, which confirmed the allegations.
Subsequently, a case FIR No. 01/2026 was registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) at ACB Police Station Anantnag, and an investigation was initiated.
During the course of investigation, a trap team was constituted. The team successfully laid a trap and apprehended the accused official while he was demanding and accepting ₹20,000 as part of the bribe. The accused was arrested on the spot, and the tainted money was recovered from his possession in the presence of independent witnesses.
Following the arrest, a search was also conducted at the residential house of the accused in the presence of Executive Magistrates and independent witnesses.
Further investigation into the case is underway.
