Srinagar businessman alleges DDC member asked for Rs 5 lakh bribe after school inspection
The Anti-Corruption Bureau in Jammu and Kashmir said Tuesday it had arrested an elected member of the District Development Council (DDC) for allegedly demanding a Rs 5 lakh bribe from a Srinagar-based businessman who also runs a boarding school in Harwan.
In a statement, the ACB identified the accused as Mohammad Shaban Chopan, a member of the Srinagar District Development Council. An alleged tout working for him has also been arrested.
A blank cheque signed by the complainant and Rs 50,000 given by him in cash were recovered from the arrested DDC member, the ACB said.
The complainant has claimed that he has been running a boarding school with a swimming pool and a guest house in Check Dara, Srinagar’s Harwan, for some time. He said that an official inspection was conducted at his site, and he discovered Chopan, a resident of Dara, had arranged it.
Later, Chopan, through Ghulam Mohammad Khathana, allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 5 lakh and asked the complainant to pay Rs 50,000 as the first instalment along with a blank cheque, the ACB said. The complainant was allegedly told he should pay the remaining amount after getting the required clearances.
Acting on the complaint, the ACB said it conducted a discreet verification through a designated officer, which confirmed the allegations.
Subsequently, a trap team was constituted, and a successful trap was laid, the ACB said.
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The ACB said that during the operation, the accused and his tout were caught allegedly demanding and accepting Rs 50,000 and a blank signed cheque from the complainant, adding that they were immediately apprehended.
The District Development Councils were envisioned as a third tier of governance in Jammu and Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370. A legislation to this effect was brought in by the Ministry of Home Affairs on October 16, 2020, through an amendment to the Jammu and Kashmir Panchayati Raj Act, 1989.
