CBI Arrests Agricultural Officials in Bribery Case in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu, September 20 (Daily Kiran) : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has apprehended a sub-divisional agricultural officer (SDAO) and two others in connection with a bribery case in Jammu and Kashmir. The arrests occurred following a complaint regarding the issuance of subsidies under the Holistic Agricultural Development Program (HADP). On September 19, 2026, the CBI registered a case against the accused.The SDAO allegedly demanded a bribe of ₹35,000 from the complainant to release the subsidy. The officer instructed the complainant to hand over the bribe either to an Agricultural Extension Assistant (AEA) or to a private individual. The CBI set up a sting operation, catching the AEA and the private individual red-handed while they were receiving ₹15,000 from the complainant. Subsequently, the SDAO was arrested at his residence. The investigation is ongoing. In a separate incident, the Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested an assistant sub-inspector and a member of the Gujarat Defense Corps (GDC) for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹10,000.This arrest occurred in relation to a case registered at the Aji Dam police station in Rajkot. The accused have been identified as 53-year-old ASI Rajeshbhai, also known as Rajubhai Mer, and 31-year-old Manojbha Chauhan, a GDC personnel stationed at the same police post. According to the ACB, Mer was investigating a complaint against the complainant at the Aji Dam police station when he allegedly demanded ₹10,000 in exchange for not keeping the accused in custody and expediting the bail process.Mer reportedly instructed the complainant to pay the bribe to Chauhan. However, the complainant refused and reported the matter to the ACB's toll-free number '1064'.