Punjab: ASI caught taking bribe of Rs 30,000

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) caught Assistant Sub-Inspector Avtar Singh, posted at the Sadar police station, red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000.

Disclosing this here on Tuesday, an official spokesperson for the state VB said the action against the accused was based on a complaint lodged by a resident of Village Chatamla, Tehsil Morinda, District Ropar.

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The complainant informed that he works in agriculture. His late father leased about 6 acres of land from the Waqf Board for 99 years, which the complainant is cultivating. A dispute arose when another party, Tejpal Singh, forcibly cultivated part of this land and destroyed two acres of maize crops.

On this, he registered his complaint. However, the police acted on the application of the other party Tejpal Singh and registered a case against the complainant and his mother. ASI Avtar Singh, who was investigating the case, demanded a bribe of Rs 50,000 to drop the complainant’s mother’s name from the case. Upon request, the ASI settled for Rs 35,000 as a bribe, took Rs 5,000 from the complainant and asked for the remaining bribe of Rs 30,000.

Unwilling to pay the remaining illegal gratification, the complainant approached the VB Flying Squad SAS Nagar. Acting on his complaint, the VB team laid a trap during which the accused ASI was arrested red-handed while accepting bribe money of Rs 30,000 from the complainant in presence of two official witnesses.

In this regard, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at VB police station SAS Nagar and further investigation is in progress.