CBI arrests revenue official on bribery charges in Udhampur

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a revenue official for accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000 from a man for processing an application in Udhampur district, officials said on Sunday.

They said the ‘patwari’ of the Sudh Mahadev area of Chenani tehsil was arrested on Saturday after he was caught red-handed accepting the bribe.

The complainant had applied for issue of ‘Fard’ (revenue extract — a document containing land ownership and other details) for his land, but his online application was rejected without any valid reason, a CBI official said.

The man then met the accused ‘patwari’, who demanded a bribe of Rs 50,000 from him for processing his application. After negotiation, the accused agreed to reduce the amount to Rs 40,000, he said.

Based on the man’s complaint, the official said, the CBI laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while he was accepting the bribe from the complainant on Saturday. He was arrested and a search was conducted at his residence, he said.

According to the official, the accused was produced before the court of special judge, anti-corruption (CBI cases), Jammu, on Sunday morning and the court remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days.