ACB traps and arrests Mohd Saleem Bandey, Girdawar, Halqa Judda, Tehsil Arnas, District Reasi for demanding and accepting bribe of ₹10000

J&K Anti-Corruption Bureau successfully apprehended a public servant in connection with a bribery case registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. A case bearing FIR No. 04/2026 under Section 7 of the Act has been formally registered against Mohd. Saleem Banday, Girdawar, Halqa Judda, Tehsil Arnas, District Reasi, for demanding and accepting illegal gratification from a complainant.

The accused public servant unlawfully demanded a bribe from the complainant in lieu of carrying out the demarcation of his ancestral land — an official duty the accused was legally obligated to perform without any monetary consideration. Unwilling to yield to the corrupt demand, the complainant approached the Anti-Corruption Bureau seeking legal action against the accused under the provisions of law.

Upon receipt of the complaint, ACB conducted a thorough discreet verification exercise, which corroborated the demand of bribe by the accused public servant. Based on the verified findings, FIR No. 04/2026 was formally registered at Police Station ACB Udhampur and a detailed investigation was initiated forthwith.

During the course of investigation, a specialized trap team headed by an officer of the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy. SP) was constituted. The team successfully executed the trap operation, during which the accused was caught red-handed while demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹10,000 from the complainant in the presence of independent witnesses. The accused was arrested on the spot in strict adherence to due process of law, and the bribe money was recovered from his possession in the presence of the trap team witnesses.

Subsequently, a search was also conducted at the residential premises of the accused at Sallian Talab, Udhampur, in the presence of a Magistrate, as required under the law.

It is pertinent to mention here that 02 FIRs were already registered against the accused at Police Station ACB Udhampur: