CBI arrests patwari for accepting bribe

CBI arrests patwari for accepting bribe

New Delhi: The CBI arrested a patwari allegedly while receiving a bribe in a mutation case, the official said on Wednesday.

This is the first trap operation in the Kashmir valley since the erstwhile state was bifurcated into union territories in 2019, while the agency has carried out four such operations in the Jammu division.

Mohammad Afzal, a patwari in Bemina of Budgam district, had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 35,000 from a complainant to mutate a piece of land in the name of his brother.

After negotiations, the bribe amount was reduced to Rs 23,000 of which Afzal had already received Rs 10,000, the CBI alleged in the FIR.

After getting the complaint, the agency laid a trap around the place where the remaining bribe was scheduled to be received.

"The CBI caught the patwari red-handed while demanding and accepting the remaining bribe amount of Rs 13,000. Searches were conducted at the residence of the accused which led to the recovery of incriminating documents," CBI Spokesperson RC Joshi said.