Attock – The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Attock Circle arrested an Assistant Director (Administration and Finance) of the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) Attock on Saturday for allegedly demanding and receiving a Rs30,000 bribe for approving a new water supply connection, officials said.
The arrest was made during a trap operation conducted by Circle Officer ACE Jahanzeb Khan in the presence of Judicial Magistrate Ahmad Zia Chaudhry, following a complaint lodged by Bilal Ahmad, a resident of Attock.
According to ACE officials, Ahmad approached the department and alleged that Jameel Akhtar Shad, Assistant Director (Administration and Finance), WASA Attock, had demanded Rs30,000 in illegal gratification for issuing a new water connection for his house.
Acting on the complaint, ACE officials arranged a trap and arrested the suspect while he was allegedly receiving the money from the complainant. The bribe amount was recovered from the accused, officials said.
A case was subsequently registered against Shad under relevant provisions of the anti-corruption laws. ACE officials said the suspect had been taken into custody for further legal proceedings and that documentary evidence and the recovered money had been secured for presentation before the court.
Circle Officer Jahanzeb Khan said the department would continue action against officials accused of demanding bribes from citizens seeking public services.
“No one will be allowed to exploit citizens by demanding bribes for basic public services,” he said.
He said the presence of the judicial magistrate during the operation was intended to ensure that the trap was conducted in accordance with legal procedure and to maintain transparency.
ACE officials said the action was the latest in a series of anti-corruption cases registered in Attock this month. Two traffic police officials and an employee of the Agriculture Department had also been arrested in separate cases after complaints alleging demands for bribes, they said.
The officials said the recent operations formed part of the province-wide anti-corruption campaign launched on the directions of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
The complainant, Bilal Ahmad, said the arrest should serve as a warning to officials who demanded illegal payments from citizens.
“We want public offices to work without corruption so that ordinary people do not suffer,” he said.
ACE officials urged citizens to report demands for bribes through the department’s designated complaint channels, saying the identity of complainants would be kept confidential in accordance with the applicable procedure.
Further investigation into the WASA case is under way to determine whether any other officials or employees were involved.
