Srinagar, July 11:
Anti-Corruption Bureau J&K on Friday said that they have arrested PDD lineman for demanding and accepting bribe of Rs. 5000 in Pattan area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
In a handout to SNS Kashmir, the ACB said that it received a written complaint alleging therein that Manzoor Ahmad Bhat, Lineman-II (designated as Meter Reader Panzinara) in the Power Development Department (PDD), Sub Division Pattan Baramulla demanded a bribe of ₹5,000 from the complainant for processing fresh electricity connection to a newly residential house at Panzinara, Shalteng Srinagar.
The spokesman further stated that since the complainant didn’t want to pay bribe, he approached ACB for taking legal action against the accused public servant under law. On receipt of the complaint, a discreet verification through designated officer was carried out. The verification report confirmed the allegations and accordingly, a case FIR No. 13/2025 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended) was registered in Police Station ACB Srinagar and investigation was initiated.
During the course of investigation a trap team was constituted. The team laid a successful trap and caught the accused public servant Manzoor Ahmad Bhat R/o Buran Pattan Baramulla, Lineman-II (designated as Meter Reader Panzinara) in Power Development Department (PDD) Sub Division Pattan Baramulla red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe amount of ₹5,000 from the complainant at Panzinara Shalteng Srinagar.
The accused was arrested on spot by the ACB team after following the due procedure of law. The bribe money was also recovered from his possession in presence of independent witnesses associated with the trap team.
Further investigation of the instant case is going on, reads the statement.