Punjab: 'Patwari' arrested for accepting Rs 34 lakh in bribes, including Pakistani 'juttis' worth Rs 3 lakh

Chandigarh, March 27

A revenue official was arrested on charges of accepting bribes over Rs 34 lakh, including ‘Pakistani juttis’ (shoes) worth Rs 3 lakh, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau said on Tuesday.

Gurwinder Singh, Revenue ‘patwari’ posted in Ludhiana, surrendered before police after his bail application in the matter was rejected by the Punjab and Haryana High court, a spokesperson of the bureau said.

Singh’s father and brother, and his agent Nikku have also been booked in the corruption case.

The case was registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by Babbu Tanwar, a resident of Bathinda, against Singh and his agent.

The complainant had alleged that the accused had accepted a bribe of Rs 40,000 for sanctioning the mutation of a property of his father, located near Ludhiana bus stand.

The complainant further alleged that the ‘patwari’ and his agent Nikku had also taken Rs 3.4 lakh for purchasing two Apple iPhones and smart watches. He also accepted ‘Pakistani juttis’ worth Rs 3 lakh as bribes, the complainant added.

In addition, the complainant had to spend Rs 80,000 for Nikku’s birthday party.

The vigilance bureau spokesperson said during the probe it was found that the ‘patwari’, his accomplice Nikku, his father Parmjeet Singh and brother Balwinder Singh accepted another Rs 27.5 lakh as bribes on four occasions from the complainant.

The ‘patwari’ neither did the mutation of property in question nor returned the money to the complainant, said the spokesperson.