The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) during its ongoing campaign against corruption in the state, has arrested Inspector of Police Jatinder Kumar, posted as SHO at Phagwara City Police Station in Kapurthala district, along with his accomplice, Jaskaran Singh alias Jassa, a resident of Burj Hamira village in Moga district, red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson for the VB said the arrests were made following a complaint lodged by Kulwinder Kaur, a resident of Chachoki village near Phagwara. Providing more details, he added that Kulwinder Kaur has approached the VB with a complaint alleging that the said police personnel had detained her son Harshdeep, his wife Ashima, and his brother-in-law Ansh Sharma in March while they were dining at a local eatery in Phagwara.
A Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case was then registered against her son at the said police station. Subsequently, the accused police personnel demanded Rs 50,000 in exchange for not involving Harshdeep’s wife and brother-in-law in this case and the complainant, under pressure, paid the bribe.
She further alleged that later, Inspector Jatinder Kumar allegedly demanded another Rs 50,000 to exclude Harshdeep’s mobile phone, worth Rs 1.5 lakh, along with a gold ring and gold ear studs, from the case’s evidence. The complainant paid the bribe amount and had the items returned to her.
The complainant further alleged that the Inspector repeatedly contacted her, asking her to pay bills totaling Rs 35,000–40,000 for plants and pots he had purchased from Tara Nursery and she paid the amount. Additionally, the Inspector demanded Rs one lakh in exchange for filing a favorable challan in court and supporting her son during the trial and evidence. A final settlement of Rs 50,000 was agreed upon, which the complainant recorded and submitted as an evidence to the VB.
The spokesperson added that after a preliminary inquiry into the complaint, a VB team laid a trap during which Inspector Jatinder Kumar and his accomplice Jaskaran Singh were caught accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. Further investigation into the case is ongoing, he added.