The anti -corruption bureau in Jammu and Kashmir said on Tuesday that it had arrested an elected member of the District Development Council (DDC) to demand a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from a businessman in Srinagar, who also runs a boarding school in Harvan.
In a statement, the ACB identified the accused as Mohammad Shaban Chopan, a member of the Srinagar District Development Council. An alleged tout work has also been arrested for him.
The ACB said an empty check signed by the complainant and Rs 50,000 given by him was recovered from the DDC member.
The complainant has claimed that he has been running a boarding school with a guest house in Harwan, Srinagar, a swimming pool and a check for some time. He said that an official inspection was conducted on his site, and he had arranged for Chopan, a resident of Dara,.
The ACB said that later, through Ghulam Mohammad Khathana, Chopan allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 5 lakh and asked the complainant to pay Rs 50,000 as the first installment with the vacant check. The complainant was reportedly told that they should pay the remaining amount after receiving the necessary approval.
Working on the complaint, the ACB said that it made a prudent verification through a specified officer, which confirmed the allegations.
Subsequently, a trap team was formed, and a successful trap was laid, ACB said.
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The ACB said that during the operation, the accused and their touts were allegedly caught demanding Rs 50,000 and a blank signed check from the complainant, saying that he was immediately arrested.
The District Development Councils were conceived as the third level of governance in Jammu and Kashmir after the cancellation of Article 370. A law to this effect was brought by the Ministry of Home Affairs on October 16, 2020, through an amendment to the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989.
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