In the relentless pursuit of eradicating corruption from the state, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) achieved another success on Wednesday by apprehending Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Harjinder Singh (310/Sangrur), posted at Sandour police station in Malerkotla district, red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000.Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the state VB said the arrest of ASI Harjinder Singh was made following a complaint lodged by Sandeep Singh Sonu, a resident of Jhuner village in Malerkotla.
The complainant detailed his encounter with the accused police officer, stating that ASI Harjinder Singh had conducted a search of his residence under suspicion of narcotics possession. However, no illicit substances were discovered during the search. Despite this, the ASI insisted on a payment of Rs 7,000 to avoid implicating the complainant under the NDPS Act. Feeling coerced and threatened, the complainant reluctantly agreed to pay a bribe of Rs 5,000 to resolve the matter.
Upon receiving this complaint, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of VB Range Ludhiana conducted a preliminary investigation and subsequently set up a trap operation in which ASI Harjinder Singh was arrested red-handed while accepting bribe of Rs 5,000 from the complainant, in the presence of two official witnesses.
In this regard, a case has been registered under FIR 14, dated October 4, 2023, under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act at VB Police Station Ludhiana Range. The accused would be presented before the appropriate court tomorrow, and further investigations into the matter were under progress, he added.