- विज्ञापन -
Punjab: The Punjab police vigilance Bureau on Wednesday as part of its campaign against corruption, has arrested retired Havildar Balwinder Singh, who was an assistant to the Station House Officer (SHO) posted at Police Station Machhiwara in Ludhiana district, red handed while taking a bribe of Rs. 10,000.
Officials sources said that the accused was performing duty in the police station without any official order or approval of the police department.
The spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau while sharing the details on the incident said that this arrest has been made on the basis of a complaint lodged by Sukhbir Singh, a resident of village Mohan Majra of Machhiwara sub-division of Khanna police district.
The spokesperson further said that the complainant reached the Vigilance Bureau Range office in Ludhiana and informed him that his car had been seized by the Machhiwara police. According to the complainant, accused Balwinder Singh told him that his car was in the possession of head clerk Karan and demanded a bribe of Rs 25,000 to get the car back. However, after negotiations, the deal was settled for Rs 15,000.
On January 28, 2025, the complainant spoke to Balwinder Singh over the phone and requested him to reduce the bribe amount, after which accused Balwinder Singh agreed to a bribe of Rs 10,000. The complainant recorded the entire conversation on the phone as evidence and submitted it to the office of the Vigilance Bureau Range in Ludhiana.
The Ludhiana Range team laid a trap and caught the said accused red-handed while taking a bribe of Rs 10,000 from the complainant in the presence of two government witnesses outside Machhiwara police station. During this, the Vigilance Bureau team also found the complainant’s car parked in the police station.
During investigation it was revealed that accused Balwinder Singh had already retired from Punjab Armed Police (PAP), but SHO Machhiwara had illegally posted him in the police station without any departmental order. Thus, the said accused was working in the police station without any government order or approval. It is worth mentioning that the role of concerned SHO and head clerk is also being investigated in this case.
A case has been registered against the accused under section 7-A of Prevention of Corruption Act and section 318 of Indian Penal Code (BNS) at Police Station Ludhiana Range of Vigilance Bureau. The accused will be produced in the court tomorrow and further investigation in this case is going on.
