Srinagar,(TKG): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday arrested a Jammu & Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) officer after he was caught red-handed accepting a bribe in Srinagar, officials said. The arrest is the latest in a string of corruption cases being probed by the agency in the union territory this year.
The accused has been identified as Sargaraz Ahmad Bhat, currently serving as State Sales Tax Officer at the Silk Factory office in Solina, Srinagar. Authorities say he was demanding and accepting Rs 20,000 in cash when the CBI laid a trap inside his office and apprehended him immediately after the transaction. The bribe amount was recovered from his possession.
A formal case has been registered by the CBI, and investigations are ongoing to determine whether Mr. Bhat is connected to other cases of corrupt practice. Officials emphasised that such arrests are part of the agency’s wider efforts to curb corruption among public servants across Jammu and Kashmir.
Of note, this is not an isolated incident. Earlier this year, the CBI also arrested another official, an Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety in J&K, over a bribery charge involving Rs 10,000. � Such cases underscore what observers say is both the frequency of complaints from citizens and the willingness of authorities to act on them.
Officials stress that through trap operations and complaint-driven investigations, the CBI’s actions have sent a message that even mid-level officers cannot assume immunity from scrutiny.
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