Srinagar, November 9: The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a case against Shabnam Arif Mir, a government official accused of accepting bribes from a car dealership in exchange for recommending its vehicles under the state-run “Mumkin” employment scheme. The case, filed on Saturday, stems from allegations that Mir, then Assistant Director of Employment and nodal officer for Kupwara and Bandipora districts, sought kickbacks from dealership representatives in return for favorable recommendations.
According to an ACB spokesperson, verification of the allegations revealed that Mir, while overseeing the Mumkin scheme during 2021-2022, demanded a bribe of ₹10,000 per vehicle from representatives of Himalayan Motors, a dealership located at the Tengpora Bypass in Srinagar. Under the Mumkin scheme, aimed at providing employment opportunities through subsidized vehicle loans, the nodal officer’s responsibility was to review and endorse eligible candidates’ applications for the District Level Implementation Committee (DLIC). However, instead of following the formal guidelines, Mir allegedly pressured the dealership for payments in exchange for recommending their vehicles.
The probe also uncovered that Mir had received a total of ₹4 lakh in bribes from a sales consultant at Himalayan Motors, including approximately ₹1.39 lakh through electronic transfers into accounts she specified. These findings prompted the ACB to register a case under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code, implicating Mir, along with dealership officials Sumeer Pandita and Junaid Bashir Beigh, in a criminal conspiracy.
ACB teams conducted searches at multiple locations in Srinagar, Kupwara, and Bandipora districts, seizing a range of incriminating documents relevant to the investigation. The case underscores ACB’s ongoing efforts to address corruption within public service, particularly in schemes intended to aid youth employment.