PSPCL lineman held for taking Rs 15K bribe

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested a PSPCL lineman, Hardeep Singh, posted at Jastarwal sub-division, Amritsar, for accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000.

An official said the accused has been arrested based on a complaint filed by a resident of Muhara village in Lopoke tehsil, Amritsar, at the Chief Minister’s Anti-Corruption Action Line.

The complainant had alleged that the electricity transformer installed in his fields had fell down recently and the accused lineman had demanded Rs 15,000 for installing back the transformer.

A verification of the complaint revealed that the accused had demanded bribe and accepted the first instalment of Rs 5,000. Later, he compelled the complainant to pay Rs 1,000 to another person for assisting him in installing back the transformer. Moreover, the accused persistently demanded the remaining Rs 10,000 through voice messages and calls. Afterwards, the complainant transferred Rs 10,000 via Google Pay on his mobile.

Corroborating the evidence, including call recordings, screenshots of the UPI transactions, bank statement and voice messages of the accused, it has come to light that the accused had indeed demanded and accepted a bribe of Rs 15,000 from the complaint.

Based on the probe, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at the VB police station, Amritsar Range.

The accused would be produced before the competent court tomorrow. Any involvement of other officials or employees would be investigated during further investigation, he said.