The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Jammu and Kashmir announced on Friday the arrest of a Patwari (a local land record official) from Halqa Dhara, tehsil Mandi, in Poonch District. The official, identified as Mohd. Jameel, was apprehended for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000.
The ACB received a complaint from an individual who had applied online on April 26, 2025, for attested copies of the Khasra Girdwari (a revenue record) of their land in Village Dhara. The complainant alleged that Patwari Mohd. Jameel was demanding a bribe to provide these documents. Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB.
Following a discreet verification that confirmed the bribe demand, the ACB registered a case under FIR number 02/2025 in Police Station ACB Rajouri, under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
During the investigation, a trap team was formed. The team successfully caught Mohd. Jameel red-handed while he was demanding and accepting the Rs 5,000 bribe from the complainant in the presence of independent witnesses. He was arrested on the spot.
Subsequently, the ACB also conducted a search of Jameel’s residential house in Poonch. Further investigation into the case is ongoing.
