Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrests ASI for accepting ₹33,500 bribe in Faridkot

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB), during its ongoing drive against corruption in the state, has apprehended Assistant Sub-Inspector Harpal Singh, posted at Police Station Jaito in district Faridkot, red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹33,500.

Disclosing this here on Tuesday, an official spokesperson of the state VB said that the accused was arrested based on a complaint lodged by a resident of Jaito tehsil in Faridkot district.

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He said that a case under the NDPS Act had been registered against the complainant’s husband and mother-in-law, in which ASI Harpal Singh was the investigating officer.

In this connection, the complainant alleged that the accused demanded a bribe of ₹2 lakh in lieu of helping them in the case and for not seeking police remand. Upon repeated requests, the deal was settled at ₹80,000, of which the accused had already taken the first instalment of ₹40,000 from the complainant.

The spokesperson further stated that the accused later demanded the second instalment of ₹40,000. The complainant had recorded the entire conversation regarding the demand for the bribe.

Unwilling to pay any illegal gratification, the complainant approached the Vigilance Bureau Unit, Faridkot. After a preliminary enquiry, the VB team laid a trap, during which the accused ASI was arrested red-handed while accepting ₹33,500 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.

In this regard, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at the VB Police Station, Ferozepur, and further investigation is in progress.