3 J&K Power Department employees held for taking bribe

Srinagar, April 13 (IANS) The J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday arrested three employees of a power distribution corporation in Baramulla district while demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 2,60,000.

According to an ACB statement, a complaint was received from a resident of village Gofbal Kunzer in Baramulla alleging that his father, the proprietor of a manufacturing unit being run since 2014, had applied to the Assistant Executive Engineer Tangmarg for upgrading electricity consumption/sanction load in November 2021 but a bribe was demanded.

"The officials, namely Masood Ahmad, Junior Engineer, Ghulam Mohd Bhat, Junior Engineer, and Inspector Abdul Rashid Bhat (Meter Reader) demanded huge amount as bribe for the settlement/processing of his file for upgrading the load. They settled for Rs 2,60,000 as demand for completing the work," it said.

The ACB set up a team while laid a successful trap and caught Ahmad, Bhat, and Abdul Rashid Bhat of special sub division Tangmarg red-handed while demanding and accepting bribe of Rs 2,60,000, the statement said.

All three were arrested and the bribe money also recovered from their possession in presence of independent witnesses, the ACB said, adding that the role of Junaid Ahmad Mir, Assistant Executive Engineer, and Manzoor Ahmad Bukhari, Assistant Engineer, Special Sub Division, Tangmarg is also being investigated.