DSP, SHO booked on graft charge
From Our Correspondent

PATIALA, Oct 27 — A DSP, an Inspector and some unidentified police personnel of the CIA staff in this district were booked by the district police here today under the Prevention of Corruption Act for accepting a bribe to hush up a murder case.

While Inspector Rajveer Singh, SHO, Patran, has been placed under suspension, the case of DSP, Samana, Paramvir Singh Gill, has been sent to the Director General of Police for suitable action.

Revealing this at a press conference here today Mr Harpreet Singh Sidhu, SSP, said the corruption case came to light when Satpal Singh, tried to bribe DSP (Lines) Gurdeep Singh Bedi, who was recently deputed as investigating officer of the same murder case. He said Satpal Singh was caught red handed yesterday with Rs 1 lakh as bribe money in the presence of DSP (Vigilance) Jaipal Singh.

During investigation it was revealed that police officers had been bribed by persons involved in the murder of a farmer, Sukhwinder Singh Bhura, who was killed in June this year. According to the SSP, DSP Paramvir Gill received Rs 25,000, Inspector Rajveer Singh Rs 40,000 and CIA staff Rs 20,000, from the three suspects Baldev Singh, Gurcharan Singh and Jarnail Singh. The SSP said the police officers concerned did not investigate the case properly and also sided with the murder suspects whenever the matter cropped up during meeting of senior police officers.

The SSP informed that one of the suspects Gurcharan Singh, had been arrested.

The SSP said the work of the entire investigating team under Mr Rajiv Ahir, ASP, Mr Jaipal Singh and Mr G.S. Bedi, who refused the bribe money was commendable and their names had been forwarded for reward.

Giving details of the murder case, the SSP said the victim Sukhwinder Singh, had taken some loan from the suspects, and mortgaged his land. However, later he repaid the loan but the arhtiyas refused to return his land and also planned to 'liquidate' Sukhwinder. On June 20, they attacked the victim and killed him while he was sleeping in his fields.