CBI arrests IPS officer in ₹8 lakh bribery case in Punjab; recovers ₹5 crore in cash, 1.5 kg jewellery
A senior IPS officer and an associate were arrested for allegedly demanding a bribe of ₹8 lakh. The CBI recovered assets, including ₹5 crore cash, jewellery, luxury vehicles, and firearms, during searches at locations linked to the officer in Punjab and Chandigarh.
The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer from the 2009 batch, currently serving as DIG of Ropar Range, Punjab, along with another person, in connection with an ₹8 lakh bribery case. During searches, they seized ₹5 crore cash, jewellery, luxury vehicles, and firearms. The officer was also reportedly demanding ongoing monthly illegal payments from the complainant, the agency said on Thursday, 16 October.
Punjab Deputy Inspector General of Police Harcharan Singh Bhullar was arrested in the alleged bribery case, PTI reported.
The CBI registered a case on Thursday against the accused IPS officer and his associate, alleging that the officer demanded a bribe of ₹8 lakh and monthly illegal payments through his middleman. This was in exchange for “settling” an FIR related to the complainant and ensuring no further coercive or adverse police action was taken against his business.
The CBI caught the associate “red-handed” while demanding and accepting ₹8 lakh from the complainant on behalf of the DIG at Sector 21, Chandigarh. During the operation, a call was made to the official, in which he confirmed the payment and instructed the middleman and complainant to visit his office.
Later, the CBI team arrested the public servant at his office and both suspects in Chandigarh. The accused will be presented before the designated court on Friday, 17 October. Searches and further probes are ongoing, the CBI said.
What assets did CBI recover?
During searches at multiple locations connected to the public servant in Punjab and Chandigarh, the CBI found large amounts of cash and other assets.
The assets included:
•Cash of approximately ₹5 crore (and counting)
•Jewellery weighing about 1.5 kg
•Documents pertaining to immovable properties and assets in Punjab
•Keys of two luxury vehicles, including Mercedes and Audi
•22 luxury watches
•Locker keys
•40 litres of imported liquor bottles
• Firearms: 1 double-barreled gun, 1 pistol, 1 revolver, 1 airgun, along with ammunition.
- The assets recovered from the middleman included ₹21 lakh cash.
Two officers arrested for accepting ₹5 lakh bribe
Meanwhile, in another incident, the CBI arrested a superintendent of CGST & Central Excise Commissionerate, Nashik, for accepting a bribe of ₹5 lakh, the agency informed on Wednesday, 15 October.
The CBI stated that during searches of the accused's residential and official premises, its officers found ₹19 lakh in cash and other incriminating documents.
The case was registered on Tuesday over allegations that the accused initially demanded an undue advantage of ₹50 lakh to avoid taking legal action against the complainant in a matter related to the IGST input of a private company. This amount was later reduced to ₹22 lakh. It was also claimed that the accused instructed the complainant to pay ₹5 lakh on 14 October and the remaining ₹17 lakh on 17 October.