Punjab Vigilance Bureau nabs Forest Dept official for taking Rs 30K bribe

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, November 8

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Wednesday nabbed Sukhminder Singh Hira, PFS, posted as regional manager, Punjab Forest Department, at Phillaur, Jalandhar district red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000.

Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson for the state Vigilance Bureau said the official had been arrested on a complaint lodged by forest contractor Balkar Singh, a resident of Kalas Kalan village here.

He said the complainant had approached the economic offences wing (EOW) of the VB, Ludhiana, and alleged that the forest official had demanded Rs 35,000 as commission out of cutting of trees under a tender allotted to his firm.

The complainant said Sukhminder Singh had threatened him that no such tender would be allotted to him in future if the commission was not paid. The complainant alleged that he did not want to pay the bribe but due to compelling reasons, the official had already taken Rs 5,000 as the first instalment and was demanding the balance amount.

The spokesperson said after a preliminary investigation of the complaint, a VB team from the EOW, Ludhiana, laid a trap and nabbed the Forest Department official while accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. A casehas been registered against the suspect.

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