Jammu: Two government officials – a forester and a forest guard – were arrested after they were caught red-handed taking a bribe in Rajouri district on Friday, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) said.
The duo was caught after the ACB laid a trap following a complaint by a local alleging that Forester Ajaz Ahmed and Forest Guard Mohammad Zaman had demanded money to allow him to construct a septic tank and an underground water tank near his house.
On March 13, he said Zaman visited the complainant and stopped him from the digging work, on the pretext that the land falls under the Forest department.
The complainant told him that that was his own land, but he did not agree, an ACB spokesperson said, adding that the official demanded a bribe of Rs 50,000 for the approval of the work.
Due to fear and pressure, the complainant was forced to pay Rs 30,000, which was transferred on the spot to the account given by the forest guard and the forester. However, the duo, even after receiving the money, kept on threatening and harassing the complainant to pay Rs 10,000 more.
Later, the complainant approached and lodged a complaint at Police Station ACB Rajouri, leading to the arrest of the two officials with bribe money of Rs 7,000.
Searches were conducted in the residential house of the accused persons in Rajouri, the spokesperson added.
