SRINAGAR: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Jammu and Kashmir has arrested a deputy forester and a forest guard for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 11,000 from a complainant.
According to a statement issued by the Bureau, ACB received a complaint alleging that Surinder Kumar, posted as Deputy Forester in the Range Office, Kalidhar, and Kewal Krishan, then Forest Guard, demanded a bribe for the release of an additional CDR.
“The accused had allegedly demanded Rs 14,000 from the complainant in connection with the release of the CDR deposited during the execution of a work titled Construction of 126 Boundary Pillars in Compartment No. 12/K, Nada Chargiyal Forest, Kalidhar Forest Range. After negotiations, the accused agreed to accept Rs 11,000—Rs 3,000 for the deputy forester and the remaining amount for the forest guard. The complainant, unwilling to pay the bribe, approached the ACB to initiate legal action,” the statement reads.
Following the complaint, a discreet verification confirmed the demand. “Subsequently, an FIR (No. 11/2025) under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Section 61(2) of the BNS, 2023, was registered at ACB Police Station Jammu, and investigation was initiated. During the investigation, a trap was laid, and both officials were caught red-handed while accepting the bribe in the presence of independent witnesses.”
The accused were arrested on the spot, and the bribe money was recovered in the presence of witnesses. Searches were also conducted at the residential premises of the accused. Further investigation is under way.
