The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) during its ongoing campaign against corruption in the state has arrested three private persons accused for blackmailing a government official with the motive to extort money amounting to Rs 1, 50,000.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the state VB said the accused namely a property agent Umardeen, Saleem and a reporter of private channel Rupinder Kumar @ Dimple, all residents of Nabha, Patiala district have been arrested from Nabha on the complaint of registry clerk, Nabha tehsil, Rupinder Singh, a resident of Patiala.
Giving details he informed that the above said complainant has approached the VB and alleged that the accused Umardeen and his accomplices have been blackmailing him and demanding money Rs 5,00,000 from him in lieu of not complaining to the VB and making the video viral for accepting a bribe of Rs 500.
The complainant clarified that he had not received any graft during the registry in which Umardeen was witness but was taking back Rs 500 in lieu of exchange of notes handed over to a person.
Meanwhile, the accused shoot a video with his mobile with the intent to extort money from him. The complainant further alleged that the above said accused Umardeen has already taken Rs 50,000 from him as a first installment and the deal was struck at Rs. 2, 50,000.
After probing the complaint, a VB team from the flying squad Punjab laid a trap and accused Umardeen was arrested red handed while accepting extortion money Rs 1, 50,000 from the complainant as a second installment in the presence of two official witnesses.
The VB team has also recovered Rs 40,000 from him out of Rs 50,000 which he had taken earlier from the complainant as a first instalment. Subsequently other co-accused in this case namely Saleem and Rupinder Kumar @ Dimple have also been arrested from Nabha.
He further informed that a case FIR No. 02 dated 08-01-2023 under sections 419, 420, 384, 120-B of IPC and section 8 of Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered at VB police station, flying squad-1, Punjab at SAS Nagar. Further investigation in this case was under progress.