In a continued crackdown on corruption, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Saturday arrested Vikas Jindal, a clerk posted at the office of the District Education Officer (Elementary), Malerkotla, for accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from a teacher.
According to an official spokesperson of the VB, the accused had initially demanded Rs 30,000 from a complainant, a resident of village Bagrian in district Malerkotla, for processing his pending allowances at the DEO office. The complainant informed the VB that the clerk had already taken Rs 10,000 earlier and was now demanding the remaining amount.
Following preliminary verification of the complaint, a VB team from the Patiala range laid a trap. The accused was caught red-handed while accepting Rs 20,000 as the second installment of the bribe from the complainant, in the presence of two official witnesses. The tainted money was recovered on the spot.
A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered at the VB Police Station, Patiala Range. The accused will be produced in a competent court tomorrow, and further investigation is underway.
The Vigilance Bureau reiterated its commitment to eradicating corruption from public offices and urged citizens to report any such incidents via its helpline numbers or official channels, assuring complete confidentiality to whistle-blowers.