Poonch, May 7: In a major crackdown on corruption, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested two officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) in the Surankot area of Poonch district for demanding and accepting bribes in connection with the processing of a General Provident Fund (GPF) claim. The arrested officials have been identified as Farooq Ahmed, Assistant Accounts Officer, and Mohammad Riaz, Junior Assistant, both serving in the office of the Executive Engineer, PWD, Surankot.
According to a press release issued by the CBI, the arrests were made after a detailed verification of a complaint wherein the duo was accused of demanding bribes of Rs 30,000 and Rs 8,000 respectively from a complainant for releasing his GPF amount of Rs 5.04 lakh. Following negotiations, the officials agreed to settle the bribe amounts at Rs 20,000 and Rs 5,000. Acting swiftly, the CBI laid a trap on May 6, during which both officials were caught red-handed while accepting the bribe money.
The accused were presented before the Special Judge for CBI Cases in Jammu and have been remanded to one-day police custody. Subsequent searches conducted at the residences and offices of the accused in Poonch led to the recovery of several incriminating documents, which are now being examined. The CBI has confirmed that further investigation into the case is ongoing to unearth deeper links and possible involvement of other officials.