The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) announced on Thursday the arrest of Basharat Habib, a Mineral Supervisor in the Geology & Mining Department, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹15,000.
The arrest followed a written complaint to the ACB alleging that Habib was soliciting money to permit the extraction of minor minerals, specifically sand. After a discreet verification confirmed the bribery demands, the ACB registered a case (FIR number 11/2025 U/S 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended) at Police Station ACB Srinagar and launched an investigation.
A trap team was then formed and successfully apprehended Habib red-handed while he was accepting the ₹15,000 bribe from the complainant. He was taken into custody immediately.
This incident marks the second such arrest within the department in a short period. Just two days prior, another official from the Geology & Mining Department was caught by the ACB in the Safapora area, accepting a bribe of ₹10,000. Further investigation into the current case is ongoing.
