As part of its ongoing anti-corruption campaign in the state, the Vigilance Bureau (VB) Punjab made a arrest on Friday, taking into custody of two private individuals, namely Vishal Kumar and Jatinder Kumar from Ludhiana. They had accepted Rs 4 lakh as a bribe to facilitate the removal of complainant's name from a police case.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson for the state VB revealed that Rajiv Kumar alias Ravi, a resident of New Subhash Nagar, Basti Jodhewal, Ludhiana, had lodged an online complaint on the CM Anti-Corruption Action Line in which he alleged that the aforementioned individuals had already taken Rs 4 lakh to clear his name from a murder case.
Further investigation into the complaint revealed that an FIR 68 of 2020, under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), was registered at Basti Jodhewal police station in Ludhiana against Manoj Kumar and others. The complainant's name had been added to this case after the disclosure of Manoj Kumar. Subsequently, Vishal Kumar met the complainant claiming to be associated with Jatinder Kumar, the owner of Branded Bana Garment Store in Subhash Nagar, Ludhiana. Vishal Kumar assured the complainant that he had connections with an ADCP (Additional Commissioner of Police) in Ludhiana who could ensure his innocence by conducting a police inquiry into the murder case.
The complainant asserted that Vishal Kumar and Jatinder Kumar had taken Rs 4 lakh from him in August 2020. However, he had not received any relief in exchange for the money. During continuous police raids to locate him, the complainant was arrested. When he reached out to both the accused, they informed him that the initial payment of Rs 4 lakh was only for initiating an inquiry.
The complainant later secured bail on April 25, 2023, and was eventually acquitted by the Sessions Court in Ludhiana on August 18, 2023. Subsequently, he began to demanding the return of the Rs 4 lakh, but the accused individuals did not comply. Finally, the complainant filed an official complaint in this matter and provided audio recordings as evidence to the VB. After conducting a thorough investigation, it was established that both accused individuals had demanded and received Rs 4 lakh under the pretext of their connection to the ADCP Ludhiana in the police case.
The spokesperson informed that in this regard a case has been registered under FIR 27, dated October 27, 2023, under section 7-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and 120-B of the IPC against Vishal Kumar and Jatinder Kumar at the VB police station Ludhiana range. Both individuals have been apprehended, and further investigations into this case was under progress.