Government official arrested for accepting bribe

A state government official was arrested today after he was caught accepting bribe to clear a tender for some works in the Keran sector of north Kashmir's Kupwara district, a spokesman of the State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) said here.
Head Draftsman in Rural Development Department (RDD), Kupwara, Bashir Ahmad Mir, was caught red-handed while accepting bribe from complainant Ghulam Ahmad Malik of Haiyan village in Trehgam, the spokesman said.
"During the tendering process, works were allotted to the complainant, but was learnt that the head draftsman had not deposited the documents in his office, though being transfered.
"The complainant had approached the head draftsman who demanded Rs one lakh bribe for handing over the relevant papers. An amount of Rs 5,000 was to be paid upfront and the remaining in instalments," he said.

The official was caught red-handed by SVO officials while accepting the bribe, the spokesman said, adding that the accused was taken into custody for further investigation.