Kaithal councillor arrested for demanding Rs 50 lakh bribe in vote-buying case

In a major anti-corruption action, a team from Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Kaithal district has arrested a councillor of Ward No. 14 of Municipal Council Cheeka for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 50 lakh in exchange for votes. The accused has been identified as Jitender Kumar. Two of his fellow councillors are also accused of not voting in favour of a no-confidence motion against the MC vice-chairperson, which was scheduled for July 3, said an official.

The police official stated that Vijay Kumar, a resident of Cheeka, had filed a complaint on June 20 this year, alleging that Jitender and two other councillors had approached him and demanded the bribe of Rs 50 lakh, assuring him that they would not vote in favour of the no-confidence motion. They even asked for an advance of Rs 6 lakh in cash, promising to pay the rest later. Vijay secretly recorded the entire conversation and submitted the evidence to ACB in Ambala.

When the councillors realised that Vijay might take legal action, they denied the bribe and distanced themselves from the matter. After a detailed investigation, the ACB had Jitender Kumar’s voice matched at Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Madhuban, which confirmed that the recording matched his voice. Acting on this evidence, the ACB team arrested the councillor from his shop in Cheeka Bazaar on Monday.

The official added that if evidence is found against other councillors, action would be taken against them as well. “We are investigating the involvement of others in this case,” he maintained.