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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.
