Vigilance team arrests inspector for taking bribe

Gagandeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 13

The Vigilance Bureau today caught inspector Jagseer Singh red-handed while he was allegedly taking Rs 16,000 in bribe.

The inspector was the in-charge of the economic offences wing in Muktsar district.

A team led by SP Bhupinder Singh laid a trap and arrested him. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at the Vigilance police station, Ferozepur, on the basis of complaint of Parminder Singh, a resident of Bathinda.

After his arrest, the team also conducted a raid at his home. He was produced in a court in the afternoon.

Addressing mediapersons, Vigilance Bureau SSP Jagjeet Singh Bhagtana and SP Bhupinder Singh Sidhu said Tilak Raj, a resident of Malout, had lodged a complaint at the Muktsar SSP’s office.

He had stated that he met Parminder Singh, who was then the head of the department in Mata Seeto Devi College of Education, Kot Dharmu, in 2015, had taken Rs 2,000 for the admission of his daughter in B Ed course.

As per the complaint, Parminder did nothing for admission of his daughter. Later, Parminder told Tilak Raj that he would arrange a B Ed seat for his daughter in Patiala, but the latter refused it.

When he demanded his money back, Parminder declined to return it. In his complaint, Tilak Raj held Parminder responsible for spoiling a year of his daughter.

Bhagtana said the Muktsar SSP subsequently marked the complaint to inspector Jagseer Singh for investigation.

During investigation, Jagseer Singh called Parminder and demanded Rs 25,000 while threatening him to register a case.

The deal was finally struck in Rs 16,000. Bhagtana said the Vigilance team led by SP Bhupinder Singh Sidhu laid a trap to arrest Jagseer Singh at his office, but the latter came out and sat in the car of Parminder Singh to take the bribe money. 

As soon as the Vigilance team received a signal, they arrested the accused red-handed from the Muktsar-Kotkapura road. 

The arrested policeman was on the verge of promotion. Parminder was now working as a ward attendant at Ayurvedic College in Bathinda and the accused was allegedly threatening him to book him under the SC/ST Act.