CIA office shut since May 23

More than 15 days after the local CIA office was locked as all personnel were suspended on corruption charges, no new CIA inspector has been posted yet.

The arrested officers included CIA in-charge sub-inspector Bisman Singh, ASIs Nirmal Kumar and Jaswinder Singh and Head Constable Jagroop Singh. They were arrested on May 23 after an internal investigation indicated that they had accepted a Rs 2.5 lakh bribe to facilitate the release of Sukhwinder Singh, alias Hani, a resident of Kaanshi Nagar, who had been held on suspicion of drug trafficking and sent to judicial custody.

The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) office in Phagwara was locked and non-operational last morning too.

The CIA office appeared abandoned, with its gates locked and no staff present. Sources confirmed that a single woman cop remaining in the CIA office had been posted in another branch pending investigation and no new appointments had yet been made. This marks a highly unusual situation, raising questions about continuity in local crime control efforts.

SSP, Kapurthala, Gaurav Toora reaffirmed the department’s commitment to a zero-tolerance policy on corruption. “We are taking swift and strict action to ensure accountability. The CIA office will soon be staffed with a new team so that the public does not face any disruption in crime response services,” he stated.

The temporary closure of the CIA office has led to concern among residents and civic groups, particularly given the state’s ongoing efforts to combat organised crime and drug trafficking. Many have called for stronger internal oversight mechanisms and greater transparency within law enforcement agencies.

SSP Toora has assured that the legal proceedings against the arrested officers will follow due process and the wider inquiry will determine if more individuals were involved.