SHO, constable held taking bribe

Tribune News Service

Mohali, December 9

It was nothing less than a ‘daring act’ on the part of the station house officer and a head constable of the Gharuan police station, who accepted bribe from a vehicle owner at a function where Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was the chief guest.

Vigilance sleuths arrested Sub-inspector Sahib Singh, Gharuan SHO, and Head Constable Rashpal Singh, posted at the same police station, from Chandigarh University at Gharuan for allegedly accepting Rs 3,000 from a tipper owner, whose vehicle was impounded by the policemen last night.

Both policemen were on VIP duty at the venue (where Captain Amarinder Singh was coming) where Ropar Range DIG BL Meena, Mohali SSP Kuldeep Singh Chahal, Mohali DC Gurpreet Kaur Sapra and other senior functionaries of the district administration and police were also present. The amount they accepted was the remaining part of Rs-10,000 bribe.

The Vigilance sleuths, who laid a trap there, nabbed the policemen just a couple of minutes before the Chief Minister arrived there.

According to sources, the policemen had caught two tippers of a resident of Sector 71, Jarnail Singh, last night. They had demanded Rs 10,000 to settle the case, following which Jarnail handed them Rs 7,000 and promised to pay the rest of the amount the next day.

“Today, Jarnail Singh was asked to turn up at the venue to give the rest of the amount. As Jarnail has made a complaint to the Vigilance Department, a trap was laid there. As soon as the bribe was accepted, the sleuths nabbed the duo there,” said the sources.

“The duo has been arrested after registration of a case of corruption under the Prevention of Corruption Act,” said Vigilance Inspector Satwant Singh Sidhu.

The police are also verifying the fact whether or not the tippers were containing material related to illegal mining, said the police.

Earlier, to avoid the media, Vigilance SSP Paramjit Singh Virk directed the officials to lock the gate of the Vigilance Police Station at Sector 68. A woman constable was deputed at the gate.