Vigilance Bureau arrested 41 in corruption cases in past year
In 2024, the Ludhiana Vigilance Bureau (VB) made 41 arrests across 31 registered cases, marking a significant year in its efforts to combat corruption. Of these, 17 arrests were the result of trap operations where corrupt individuals were caught red-handed accepting bribes, 10 arrests stemmed from reports received via the anti-corruption helpline and the remaining cases followed detailed investigations.
The arrested individuals include police officers, municipal corporation staff and employees from various government departments such as revenue, ESIC, Punjab Police, and PSPCL. In addition, several private individuals involved in taking bribes on behalf of government officials were also apprehended. The only setback for the Vigilance Bureau this year was the quashing of an FIR filed against former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu in connection with a corruption case related to the transportation tenders scam.
The year’s arrests began on January 4 with the apprehension of deed writer Jaspal Singh, a resident of Shimlapuri, Ludhiana, for demanding a bribe of Rs 10,000 in the name of revenue officials. On January 15, the Bureau arrested four more individuals involved in admitting ineligible candidates and issuing fraudulent D-Pharmacy degrees with the help of officials from the Punjab State Pharmacy Council (PSPC). A criminal case had already been registered in 2023 against former PSPC registrars and officials for irregularities in student admissions, registration, and licensing. On January 18, the VB arrested Mandeep Singh, a Head Constable at Police Post Kailash Nagar, for accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000. Then, on February 7, Harish Kumar, a part-time employee of the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana, was arrested for taking a second instalment of Rs 6,000 bribe. The same month, a case was registered against Patwari Jasbir Singh and his assistant Gurpreet Singh for demanding a bribe of Rs 15,000. While Jasbir Singh was arrested, Gurpreet Singh remained at large.
The Bureau’s efforts continued throughout the year, with significant arrests including Zora Singh, a Field Officer at Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), for accepting a Rs 4,000 bribe on March 7; Head Constable Sukhdev Singh, who was caught accepting Rs 1.15 lakh in bribes on April 9; and Sukhbir Singh and his accomplice Navneet Kumar, arrested on May 29 for taking a Rs 25,000 bribe.
Other notable arrests included Assistant Sub Inspector Charanjit Singh, who was apprehended on July 8 for accepting Rs 2.7 lakh bribe, and Nirdosh Kaur, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, along with her reader Beant Singh, arrested on August 1 for accepting a Rs 30,000 bribe. In October, the Vigilance Bureau took strong action by registering a corruption case against retired Superintending Engineer Rajinder Singh,
Executive Engineer Ranbir Singh, and Deputy Controller Finance and Accounts Pankaj Garg of the Municipal Corporation of Ludhiana for embezzling over Rs 3 crore. Ranbir Singh was arrested in connection with the case.
The year concluded with the November 11 arrest of SDO Neha Panchal and her assistant Naitik, who were caught accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000.
SSP Vigilance Ravinderpal Singh Sandhu stated the department will continue to combat corruption in the coming year. He also urged the public to report instances of bribery by government officials, promising that appropriate legal action would be taken.
