Amritsar news: VB arrests BDPO for taking Rs 40K bribe

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has arrested Kulwant Singh, Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO), Rayya, here for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 40,000, a VB spokesman said on Thursday.

He said the arrest has been made based on a complaint filed by a Shahpur village resident here.

The complainant in his complaint said that his wife was sarpanch of Shahpur village from 2019 to 2024. There were allegations about embezzlement of panchayat funds and creation of fake job cards during her tenure. The complainant alleged that the BDPO, being the enquiry officer, demanded Rs 1 lakh bribe from him to settle the case. The complainant urged him to reduce the bribe amount, but the officer refused to do so.

The spokesperson said after a preliminary probe, a VB team laid a trap during which the accused BDPO was arrested red-handed while accepting Rs 40,000 as a first instalment of bribe from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.

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