Latest news with #VigilanceBureau
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: ASI gets 4-year jail in bribery case
The special court of judge Amrinder Singh Shergill has convicted assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Tarsem Singh in a four-year-old corruption case, sentencing him to four years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of ₹25,000. The conviction comes in connection with a bribery incident in 2021 when the ASI was caught red-handed while accepting ₹1,500 for executing non-bailable warrants. The convict sought leniency claiming that his wife and three children were dependent upon him and that he is the sole bread earner of his family. However, the prosecution firmly opposed the request, arguing that instead of performing his official duties with integrity, he chose to solicit a bribe from a complainant in exchange for fulfilling a basic legal responsibility. The court, in its judgement, mentioned that in these facts and circumstances, coupled with the offence, which the convict has committed, leave no scope for a lenient view against him. The case dates back to February 25, 2021, when the vigilance bureau arrested ASI Tarsem Singh, who was then posted at the division number 8 police station. He was apprehended while accepting a bribe from Rahul Kumar, a resident of New Kundanpuri, for serving a court-issued non-bailable warrant in a cheque bounce case. According to the complaint filed by Kumar, he had moved court against one Rajat Rana for issuing a dishonoured cheque. The court subsequently issued non-bailable warrants against Rana and directed the police to serve them. However, Kumar alleged that ASI Singh deliberately delayed executing the warrants. When Kumar followed up, the ASI allegedly demanded ₹2,000 as a bribe, though the amount was eventually settled at ₹1,500. Unwilling to pay the bribe, Kumar approached the Vigilance Bureau, which laid a trap. ASI Singh was caught in the act and arrested. A case was registered against him under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Motorcycle stolen from police lines
A Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle was stolen from the police lines — a place considered among the safest due to round-the-clock police presence. The stolen vehicle belonged to the son of a senior constable currently posted in the Vigilance Bureau. The theft was reported by Manmeet Singh, a resident of quarter number 104-B in the police lines. Manmeet, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree, said he had parked his bike and locked it securely on June 5. A few hours later, when he came out to use the vehicle, it had vanished without a trace. Despite extensive search of the area, the motorcycle could not be located. 'The bike was locked, and it was parked inside what is supposed to be a highly secured zone. I couldn't believe someone had the audacity to steal from here,' said Manmeet. Following his complaint, the division number 8 police have registered a case against an unknown person and launched an investigation. Sub-inspector Lakhwinder Masih, who is investigating the spot, stated that the CCTV footage from cameras installed within the police lines is being reviewed to identify the culprit.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Vigilance sleuth suspended after issuing summons to Punjab Congress leader, AAP alleges nexus between them
CHANDIGARH: A day after the state vigilance bureau issued a summons to the Congress candidate for the Ludhiana (West) assembly seat Bharat Bhushan Ashu in connection with an alleged Rs 2,400 crore scam, the Punjab government suspended Jagatpreet Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (Vigilance) at Ludhiana, claiming that he issued the summons in connivance with Ashu to benefit him in the ensuing bypoll. The summons issued by Jagatpreet Singh directed Ashu to appear for questioning on Friday. The summons related to a First Information Report (FIR) registered on January 8 in which Ashu and others were accused of cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, and conspiracy. The investigation was transferred to the Vigilance Bureau owing to the suspected involvement of government officials. The alleged scam pertains to 4.7 acres of land given to New Senior Secondary School in Sarabha Nagar at a subsidised rate strictly for educational purposes by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) decades ago. However, during investigations it came to light that parts of this land are being illegally used for commercial activities. Additional Chief Secretary, (Home) Alok Shekhar, issued the order which states that Jagatpreet Singh has been placed under suspension with immediate effect under Rule 4(1) (a) of the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 1970, for his "grave misconduct and dereliction of duty". Meanwhile, the state Congress leadership has trashed the allegations of a nexus between Ashu and the suspended police officer. Calling it a 'a calculated attempt to intimidate' Ashu ahead of the Ludhiana West bypoll, senior Congress leader and leader of the opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said, "It's clear that the AAP government first tried to use state machinery to scare Ashu into silence. Summons were issued to him by the Vigilance Bureau just weeks before polling—not as part of any genuine investigation, but as a crude, desperate tactic to gain political advantage." Bajwa questioned the intent behind the timing, calling it a 'desperate, dictatorial move' and a gross misuse of power. 'This is not governance; this is vendetta politics at its worst,' he said. "When their intimidation attempt backfired and public backlash intensified, the AAP shifted gears in a bizarre U-turn. In an unbelievable twist, Vigilance Bureau SSP Jagatpreet Singh—who had issued the summons to Ashu—was suddenly suspended," he said.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Mohali: ASI runs over vigilance inspector during bribe trap
An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) with Mohali police was booked for attempt to murder after he allegedly tried to run over a Vigilance Bureau inspector during a bribery trap operation in Sohana on Wednesday evening. The accused, identified as ASI Kamalpreet Sharma, is currently absconding. He was recently posted at the Sohana police station after a previous stint at the Seneta police post. According to the Vigilance Bureau, Sharma was accused of demanding a bribe of ₹50,000 from Harjinder Singh, a resident of Anandpur Sahib, to settle a road accident case involving the death of a man under the truck of the complainant's friend Satish Kumar. Despite his transfer from the Seneta police post to Sohana police station, Sharma allegedly continued to harass the duo for money, collecting ₹5,000 as an initial payment. Harjinder subsequently approached the Vigilance Bureau with a formal complaint. Acting on the complaint, a trap was laid by a bureau team, led by inspector Varinder Singh. Marked currency was handed over to Harjinder to deliver to the accused. When Sharma arrived near the Sohana police station in Sector 79 to collect the bribe, the bureau sleuths attempted to apprehend him. Realising the trap, Sharma tried to flee and allegedly drove his car directly at inspector Varinder, leaving him injured. A case under various BNS sections, including attempt to murder and obstructing a public servant from discharging official duties, was registered at the Sohana police station. The Vigilance Bureau also filed a separate FIR related to the bribery charges. The accused, a native of Mansa, Punjab, resided in a rented accommodation in Sector 79, Mohali, shared police, adding that raids were ongoing to trace his whereabouts.
Indian Express
26-05-2025
- Indian Express
‘Thar wali constable' Amandeep Kaur arrested in disproportionate assets case
Punjab's Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Monday announced the arrest of Amandeep Kaur, a senior police constable dismissed following heroin seizure from her possession, in a case in which she allegedly amassed assets disproportionate to her known sources of income. A VB spokesperson said an investigation revealed that Amandeep Kaur had a total income of Rs 1,08,37,550 between 2018 and 2025 while her expenditure stood at Rs 1,39,64,802.97, which is Rs 31,27,252.97 more than her known sources of income, or 28.85 per cent beyond her legitimate earnings. The case was registered under Prevention of Corruption Act sections 13(1) and 13(2) at the VB police station in the Bathinda range following the inquiry, which scrutinised details of her movable and immovable properties along with her salary, bank accounts and loan records. Further investigation in the case is underway. Amandeep Kaur was earlier arrested on April 2 in Bathinda with 17.71 g of heroin found in her Mahindra Thar SUV during a routine check under Punjab's Yudh Nasheian Virudh (War Against Drugs) campaign. She was dismissed from service the following day under Article 311 of the Constitution for her involvement in drug-related offences and for violating departmental rules by posting social media content in uniform. Known as the 'Instagram Queen' or 'Thar wali constable,' Kaur had over 30,000 Instagram followers (under the handle 'police_kaurdeep'), where she flaunted a lavish lifestyle, including luxury vehicles such as Mahindra Thar, Audi, Innova cars, and Royal Enfield motorcycle; high-end Rado and Rolex watches; Gucci sunglasses; and a house worth approximately Rs 2 crore. Her social media posts, often featuring Punjabi songs with controversial lyrics, violated Punjab Police guidelines prohibiting officers from sharing reels in uniform. Hailing from a poor Dalit family in Bathinda's Chack Fateh Singh Wala village, Kaur joined the police in 2011. Despite her family's modest circumstances (her father is a mason, and her brother works in a private firm), she reportedly lived in a posh Bathinda colony and led a luxurious life, which raised suspicions about her income sources. On May 1, Amandeep Kaur was granted bail by the Special Court for Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act cases in Bathinda. The court noted that the 17.71 g of heroin was within the non-commercial category and that Kaur had undergone multiple days of custodial interrogation without additional charges being added. She was released on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 50,000 with a surety of the same amount. Her lawyer, Vishwadeep Singh, argued that no heroin was seized directly from her and that she had been falsely implicated. Despite interrogations by the police, the Narcotics Control Bureau, and the Intelligence Bureau, no further disclosures were made public.
