Vigilance nabs Patwari taking bribe

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Tuesday arrested Patwari Ashok Kumar, posted at Revenue Halqua Shamdo, Tehsil Rajpura, and his acquaintance Gurjit Singh for taking a bribe of Rs 20,000.

Disclosing this here today, a bureau spokesperson said the case had been registered on a complaint filed by a resident of Sheikhpura Rajputan village in the district.

The complainant approached alleged that the Patwari and his middleman had demanded Rs 20,000 in bribe to make corrections in the ‘jamabandi’ record pertaining to his land.

“Following an initial inquiry into the allegations, a bureau team laid a trap during which the accused Patwari and his agent were caught red-handed while taking a bribe of Rs 20000 in the presence of two official witnesses,” officials further said.

A case has been registered against both accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act at the VB Police Station, Patiala range.

Further investigation to uncover any wider network of corruption is in progress, he added.