SRINAGAR, Dec 17: A clerk from the Fire & Emergency Services department in Sopore was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 5,000 for issuing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) required to open a timber sale depot.
According to an ACB statement, the complainant, intending to open a timber sale depot in Baramulla, had applied online for a license from the forest department and completed all necessary formalities, except for obtaining the mandatory NOC from the fire department. When he approached the fire department office in Sopore, clerk Nisar Ahmad Wani reportedly delayed the process for various reasons, ultimately demanding a bribe of Rs 5,000 to issue the NOC.
The complainant further alleged that Wani also forced him to pay Rs 1,500 via bank transfer to an unknown person as a fee for the NOC and insisted on installing specific instruments at the timber depot through a selected shopkeeper at inflated prices.
Not willing to pay the bribe, the complainant reported the matter to the ACB. A discreet verification was carried out by ACB’s Baramulla unit, which confirmed that the clerk had committed an offense under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. An FIR (No 16/2024) was registered, and the investigation commenced.
During the investigation, a trap was set, and Wani was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 4,000 from the complainant. The accused clerk was arrested, and the bribe money was recovered. The investigation is ongoing.
