Anantnag, March 29: The Jammu & Kashmir Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Saturday trapped and arrested an SPO of Police Station Larnoo in Anantnag district for demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹18,000.
The accused has been identified as Imtiyaz Ahmad Bhat, son of Khazir Mohammad Bhat, a resident of Batpora Larnoo, Kokernag.
According to officials, the ACB received a written complaint stating that on March 26, 2026, the complainant was driving a load carrier from Mati to Badihar when he was stopped by a police naka party at Badihar Bridge. The police checked the vehicle and documents but withheld them, directing the driver to report to Police Station Larnoo the next day.
On March 27, the complainant visited the police station where the accused SPO allegedly demanded ₹30,000 for the release of documents. The amount was later reduced to ₹25,000 during a phone conversation and finally settled at ₹18,000.
Unwilling to pay the bribe, the complainant approached the ACB for legal action. Acting on the complaint, the bureau conducted a discreet verification which confirmed the allegations.
Subsequently, FIR No. 03/2026 under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (as amended in 2018) was registered at Police Station ACB Anantnag, and an investigation was initiated.
A trap team was constituted, which successfully caught the accused red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe amount. He was arrested on the spot, and the tainted money was recovered from his possession in the presence of independent witnesses.
Following the arrest, searches were also conducted at the residential premises of the accused in the presence of Executive Magistrates and independent witnesses.
Further investigation into the case is underway, officials said.
