The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday arrested a fireman posted under the Assistant Director, Fire and Emergency Services, Udhampur, for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹15,000 to process a Fire and Emergency Services No Objection Certificate (NOC) for a hotel in Katra.
According to the CBI, an instant case was registered on October 6, 2026, on a complaint that the accused had demanded ₹40,000 from the complainant for processing and issuing the NOC. The demand was subsequently negotiated, and the accused allegedly agreed to accept ₹15,000.
The agency laid a trap the same day and caught the accused red-handed while he was allegedly demanding and accepting the bribe. He was arrested thereafter. The CBI has said that further investigation is continuing.
The official handle of the Central Bureau of Investigation also posted that a fireman in Udhampur, Jammu and Kashmir, had been arrested in a bribery case. The name of the accused has not been disclosed in the statements reported so far.
Katra, in Reasi district, is a major pilgrimage centre on the route to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, and hotels there are required to obtain a Fire and Emergency Services NOC before operating. The allegation is that the clearance was being linked to an illegal payment.
The accused is presumed innocent until guilt is established in a fair trial. The case remains under investigation.
