ASI, constable nabbed for taking Rs 50,000 bribe

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB), during its ongoing drive against corruption, has arrested Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Rajwinder Singh and constable Baltej Singh, both posted at police station, Sultanpur Lodhi, Kapurthala, for accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000.

Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson of the state VB said the arrests were made following a complaint lodged by an NRI woman, a resident of the United Kingdom presently living in Mumbai, on the Chief Minister’s Anti-Corruption Action Line. He further said that as per the complaint, the accused ASI had demanded a bribe of Rs 50,000 from the complainant’s NRI friend at the time of his arrest in a police case, promising help in securing bail from the court.

To obtain the bribe amount, the accused police personnel even allowed the detainee to withdraw money from a bank ATM. Later, the police official also asked the complainant to pay Rs 5,000 for assisting her friend in court proceedings, which she recorded and subsequently filed as an online complaint.

The spokesperson added that during verification, the allegations levelled in the complaint were found to be true. Accordingly, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against both the accused police personnel at the VB Police Station, Jalandhar range and they have been arrested. Further investigation in this case is underway and the accused would be produced in the competent court tomorrow, he added.