Patwari, cop arrested taking bribe

Tribune Reporters

Abohar/Tarn Taran, Sept 20

A Fazilka-based Vigilance Bureau team today raided the ‘patwar khana’ near the sub-divisional complex and nabbed patwari Gurwinder Singh for allegedly demanding Rs4,000 from a debt-ridden farmer to delay the ‘kurki’ of his immovable property.

Central Bank of India officials were reportedly pressing the Revenue Department staff here to execute the court decree to attach the property of Vikramjit Singh, a farmer in Wahabwala village, as he could not repay a loan of Rs 5 lakh, reportedly due to crop failure.

Vikramjit’s son Kuldeep Singh recently complained to the VB that Gurwinder, a resident of Uttam Vihar Colony here, had demanded a bribe of Rs4,000 to defer the ‘kurki’ of his immovable property.

After getting the complaint verified, a VB team headed by inspector Amandeep Singh Mann with two official witnesses — government school principal Hans Raj and Dr Raghav — laid a trap at the ‘patwar khana’.

They nabbed Gurwinder after he allegedly accepted chemically treated currency notes amounting to Rs4,000 from the complainant.

A case under the Anti-Corruption Act has been registered and the patwari will be produced in the special court tomorrow.

In Tarn Taran, sub-inspector Bakhshish Singh, posted at the Police Lines, has been nabbed by a VBteam from Bhikhiwind, taking a bribe of Rs20,000.

The complainant, Dilbag Singh of Machhike, told mediapersons the SI had booked him under the NDPS Act after 1 kg of opium was seized from him last year.

SI Bakhshish Singh had been demanding Rs1 lakh to record his statement in court in Dilbag’s favour. The deal was finalised for Rs55,000 and Rs20,000 was to be paid today.

Dilbag brought the matter to the notice of VB officials. A VB team was led by DSP Kawaljit Kaur nabbed the SI and recovered the bribe from him. A case has been registered. The next hearing is on September 26.

Auditor in VB net

Ferozepur: The VB today nabbed an auditor (Examiner Local Fund Accounts, Chandigarh) for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs10,000 from complainant Tirath Singh, a resident of Dhanna Shahid village in Zira sub-division.

VB officials said Tirath had submitted a complaint that auditor Sukhmander Singh had demanded the money to clear the withdrawal of Rs2.5 lakh from the account of Panchayat Samiti, Ghallkhurd, during the audit. — OC