Two Chandigarh cops land in CBI net for taking Rs 50K bribe

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 22

An Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) and a Head Constable (HC) of the Chandigarh Police posted at the Police Post, Sector 24, have been arrested by the CBI for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a Dhanas resident after threatening to implicate him in a fake rape case.

The suspects — ASI Varinder Rana and HC Randeep Singh Rana — had allegedly sought a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from the resident.

Excerpt from translated transcript

ASI: Yes, tell me

Complainant: Kindly settle issue; haven’t done anything wrong, am being framed

ASI: You must have done it. It won’t be easy, things may get out of hand

Complainant: Settle the issue,

I am being framed; you asked for Rs 20K, I gave Rs 10K to Rana-ji

ASI: Yes

The complainant had alleged Randeep, who was his tenant earlier, had threatened to implicate him in a rape case and initially demanded a bribe of Rs 20,000 in the name of a police officer. The complainant allegedly paid Rs 10,000 to the HC on March 10. The complainant who claimed to be innocent then approached the CBI on March 15.

Sources said the complainant on the directions of CBI officials met Randeep, who identified the other police officer as ASI Varinder and claimed the bribe amount would be decided by him. The complainant then met both cops outside the Sector 24 police post.

As per the CBI, on March 17 the complainant met Randeep in a park at Dhanas where he demanded a bribe of Rs 1 lakh. The complainant told him he would pay Rs 50,000 on March 21 and the remaining amount in April.

After investigating the complaint for six days, the CBI registered a case under Sections 120-B of the IPC and 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. CBI sleuths claimed that they laid a trap following which the complainant handed Rs 50,000 to the HC on Tuesday evening. However, the latter fled the scene with the money and was later arrested from his house in Sector 23. The ASI was nabbed today. The money was yet to be recovered.

The two were remanded in two-day CBI custody by a local court. While the CBI demanded a four-day custody, the court granted two-day remand after hearing the arguments of CBI public prosecutor Narender Singh and counsels for the suspects.