Khanna CIA chief in trouble, VB nabs his junior with Rs 5.2L bribe

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) during its ongoing drive against corruption in the state has apprehended head constable Ramesh Kumar, posted at CIA Khanna, red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 5.20 lakh.

Stating this here today, an official spokesperson of the state VB said the above-mentioned accused had been arrested based on a complaint lodged by a resident of Master Colony, Khanna, Ludhiana district.

He said that the complainant was engaged in the business of property dealing and had complained that the accused, Ramesh Kumar, met him and made allegations regarding his involvement in gambling activities. The accused told the complainant that Narpinderpal Singh, CIA in charge, Khanna, had called him. The complainant stated that despite he not being involved in any such illegal activities, he was forced to contact the CIA in charge.

The spokesperson added that the complainant went to the office and met CIA in charge Narpinderpal Singh, who accused the complainant of engaging in betting and illegal lottery activities and demanded Rs 5 lakh through the head constable. He also threatened to arrest the complainant after registering a false case against him.

Furthermore, he said that the complainant, under compulsion, arranged Rs 2.20 lakh and went to give it to Ramesh at the house of his acquaintance Dinesh Kumar at Khanna, but the money was returned with the statement that the entire amount of Rs 5 lakh was required.

Thereafter, during a conversation with Ramesh, the bribe amount was increased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 5.20 lakh. The complainant did not want to pay the bribe, due to which he contacted the Vigilance Bureau unit, Hoshiarpur. Subsequently, a case was registered against Narpinderpal and Ramesh.

After a preliminary inquiry on the complaint, the VB team laid a trap during which the accused was arrested red-handed while accepting the bribe of Rs 5.20 lakh from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.

The Vigilance Bureau has formed various teams and is conducting raids at the residence and other locations of Narpinderpal to arrest him. In this regard, a case under Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at VB police station, Ludhiana, and further investigation into this case is under progress.