Latest news with #PunjabVigilanceBureau
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Jalandhar SI arrested while accepting ₹30k as bribe
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Friday arrested sub-Inspector (SI) Sukhraj Singh, posted with the Jalandhar CIA staff, red-handed while he was reportedly accepting ₹30,000 as bribe. A VB spokesperson said the cop was arrested following a complaint lodged by a readymade garment shop owner and resident of Saidpur Kalan village in Ajnala tehsil of Amritsar district. According to the complaint, SI Sukhraj Singh had arrested the complainant's son-in-law under Section 21 of the NDPS Act at the division number 1 police station in connection with seizure of 403-gm heroin when he had visited Jalandhar on May 18 to purchase tarpaulins. 'During the remand period, the said SI informed the complainant that his son-in-law's vehicle and two mobile phones were in his possession but were not listed as case property, assuring their return later. When the complainant visited the police station to collect the vehicle and mobile phones, the accused demanded ₹50,000 for releasing the same. Later, he agreed to accept ₹30,000 and the entire conversation was recorded by the complainant,' the spokesperson said. He informed that after a preliminary verification of the complaint, the VB team laid a trap during which the SI was apprehended red-handed while accepting ₹30,000 as bribe from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at the VB police station, Jalandhar range, and further investigation is underway, he added.
Mint
5 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Mahesh Makhija, close aide of Punjab AAP MLA Raman Arora, arrested in corruption case
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested Mahesh Makhija, a close aide of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Raman Arora, on Friday night in connection with a corruption case. Makhija was apprehended from a relative's factory in Phagwara and produced before a local court at 10:10 PM, news agency ANI reported. After a heated debate between the counsels, the Vigilance Bureau sought a seven-day remand, but the court granted a four-day custodial remand for Makhija. 'Following his arrest, the Vigilance team searched Makhija's residence, recovering several crucial documents,' sources told ANI. Mahesh Makhija was a local commission agent, news agency ANI reported. According to the Tribune, Makhija worked in the main vegetable market of Jalandhar and resides at Charanjitpura. Makhija had reportedly been on the run since Arora's arrest. Raman Arora, an MLA from Jalandhar Central, was arrested earlier for allegedly indulging in corruption in connivance with an official of the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation. Municipal Corporation Inspector Harpreet Kaur was arrested in the same case. Both Kaur and MLA Raman Arora underwent medical examinations at Jalandhar Civil Hospital late Friday night. AAP MLA Raman Arora was detained on May 23 and was arrested on May 24. He was sent on a five-day Punjab Vigilance Bureau remand on corruption charges. Arora became the third MLA from the AAP to face action in corruption-related matters from his own party government. A local court was informed that MLA Arora, his son Rajan Arora, and Mahesh Makhija have been named in the case under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Sources revealed that during his remand, MLA Arora admitted that his son managed operations related to the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation, including land and property dealings. Investigations have uncovered properties worth crores allegedly purchased by Arora in the names of relatives or family friends. According to the Tribune, it was alleged that Arora had purchased some properties from the ill-gotten money and had got these registered in the name of Makhija. It was also alleged that Raman Arora had moved some bags from his place days before his arrest. It was learnt that one of these bags, having documents related to 'benami' properties purchased by Arora, had been shifted to Makhija's place, the report added. The VB had been checking CCTV footages available from outside the houses of Arora, Makhija and others. Earlier, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested Municipal Corporation Inspector Harpreet Kaur in this connection. There had been complaints against her of having received lakhs of rupees in the racket allegedly being run in the city by Jalandhar Central MLA Raman Arora and Assistant Town Planner Sukhdev Vashisht.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Fazilka SSP suspended for ‘grave misconduct, dereliction of duty'
Chandigarh: Punjab govt suspended Fazilka senior superintendent of police (SSP) Varinder Singh Brar for "grave misconduct and dereliction of duty". Police sources said the suspension order issued on Tuesday was linked to alleged inaction in a graft case where four policemen of the Fazilka cyber crime police station, including the Station House Officer, were eventually booked and arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Tuesday on the directions of Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann. A senior Punjab police officer said the complainant had approached the SSP "twice" and then gone to the chief minister, following which the latter ordered action in the matter, and four policemen were booked and arrested in the graft case after being caught red-handed for allegedly accepting Rs 1 lakh as bribe to "settle a case" where they had confiscated a teenager's mobile phone while alleging that there was a cyber crime complaint on Tipline relating to "child pornography". The suspension order of SSP Brar read, "During suspension, his headquarters will be the office of Director General of Police, Punjab, in Chandigarh, and he will not leave it without the permission of the competent authority." An FIR under Section 7 (which deals with a public servant accepting bribe) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sections 61 (2), which deals with criminal conspiracy, was registered against Fazilka _ SHO (cyber crime) Inspector Manjit Singh, head munshi of the cyber crime police station and constables Rajpal Singh and Sumit Kumar on Tuesday at Punjab State Vigilance Bureau police station in Mohali. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Council or Housing Association Tenant? Check Eligibility for Compensation National Disrepair Claims Undo The FIR was lodged on the complaint of a resident of a village in Fazilka district who accused Fazilka cyber crime police station SHO and three other policemen of demanding Rs 3 lakh to what the policemen said "settle a cyber-crime complaint" against complainant's "nearly 18-year-old son". As per the complainant's statement in the FIR when he reached the police station along with his nephew, SHO Manjit Singh told that his (complainant's) son's mobile phone was taken into possession "following a complaint relating to child pornography received on Tipline". The FIR further stated that subsequently, the police men demanded Rs 3 lakh to settle the complaint, which was negotiated to Rs 2.3 lakh of which Rs 1 lakh was paid as first instalment. The complainant claimed to have recorded the conversations where police men allegedly demanded bribe and attached the same to complaints made to anti-corruption action line and the Vigilance Bureau. Referring to the arrests of the four policemen in the case, Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema Tuesday said, "No matter the level of the official, be it a minister, MLA, IAS/PCS officer, or any govt employee, anyone found indulging in corruption will face strict legal action..."
Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Punjab Govt suspends SSP Fazilka following arrest of 4 cops of cybercrime police station
In a crackdown on corruption in Punjab, Varinder Singh Brar, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Fazilka, was suspended Wednesday, a day after four personnel of the Cyber Crime Police Station were arrested on allegations of extortion from a minor accused. Sources in the Punjab Government said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took a serious view of the lapses on the part of Brar, who allegedly allowed the station house officer (SHO) and other staff of the cyber crime police station to act with impunity and demand a bribe from the family members of a minor. The minor allegedly forwarded a pornographic video to someone, which led to the registration of a case, and the policemen trying to extort money from his family to clear him. On Tuesday, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested Inspector Manjeet Singh, SHO, Cyber Crime Police Station, and Senior Constable Rajpal (Reader to SHO), Senior Constable Shinder Pal, and Senior Constable Sumeet Kumar for allegedly extorting Rs 1 lakh from the family of the 17-year-old boy involved in the cyber case. A senior officer said the boy had inadvertently accessed adult content, and the policemen reportedly threatened the family with a formal First Information Report (FIR) under cybercrime charges unless the bribe was paid. The case came to light after the boy's father, Dharminder Singh, provided evidence of the bribe demands to Chief Minister Mann, prompting swift action. The police personnel were caught red-handed accepting the bribe, and legal proceedings have been initiated.
Hindustan Times
27-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Rolex, Thar, ₹1crore plot: Arrested ‘Insta Queen' ex-Punjab policewoman Amandeep Kaur's properties frozen
Punjab Police on Tuesday froze both movable and immovable properties belonging to Amandeep Kaur, a former police constable dubbed the 'Insta Queen,' who was arrested on Monday in Bathinda for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to her known income, news agency PTI reported citing officials. She was dismissed from the Punjab Police in April after being arrested for possession of heroin in Bathinda district. According to an NDTV report, the seized assets include a Mahindra Thar, a Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle, residential plots valued at over ₹1 crore, two iPhones, and a Rolex watch. An official said a house, residential plot, car, motorcycle, three mobile phones, and a watch valued at ₹1.35 crore have been frozen with approval from the relevant authority. A notice regarding the freezing order has also been pasted outside Amandeep Kaur's residence in Bathinda. The former constable was arrested on Monday by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau for allegedly acquiring assets disproportionate to her known income sources. According to a police spokesperson, quoted by PTI, the probe involved examining her properties—both movable and immovable—acquired between 2018 and 2025, as well as her salary, bank transactions, and loan history. Investigators found that Kaur had an income of ₹1,08,37,550 during the said period, but her spending amounted to ₹1,39,64,802.97—exceeding her legitimate earnings by ₹31,27,252.97, or 28.85 per cent. Based on the findings, a case was registered on Monday under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act at the Vigilance Bureau police station in Bathinda. Earlier in April, Kaur was dismissed from the Punjab Police after she was caught with 17.71 grams of heroin. She was arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Task Force and charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. A Bathinda court later granted her bail on May 2.
