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10 Mohali cops landed in Vigilance Bureau’s net in 2019
BLOT ON KHAKI: ₹95,000 taken as bribe seized from them
Besides fighting the deteriorating law-and-order situation in Mohali, the Punjab Police was also busy fighting the crime of graft as the Punjab Vigilance Bureau, this year, arrested 10 policemen posted in Mohali and recovered ₹95,000 worth of bribe amount.
Irked over the number of arrests within the force on charges of graft, the senior superintendent of police (SSP), Mohali, Kuldeep Singh Chahal, is learnt to have pulled up the force, giving them stern warning at every crime meeting.
Fear of registering a case is used as a tool by the cops to extort money. However, they do leave space for negotiations, and the final bribe amount depends on the ability to bargain. The policemen posted in Mohali have been caught seeking bribe for performing their duties like filing of challans, arresting the accused, getting help with bail plea or opposing it. Illegal gratification is demanded for giving a clean chit in a pending case or inquiry or even getting a name dropped from the list of accused.
“We are very clear not to spare anyone involved in corruption. Any policeman caught taking a bribe has been dismissed from service,” said SSP Chahal.
Chahal while taking over the charge of the force had asserted his commitment to ‘zero tolerance’ and clarified that corruption among the ranks would not be tolerated, sources within the force said.
“SSP, in one of the meetings, had said “bahut beizzati ho rahi hai” (we are facing a lot of disgrace), and had asked the policemen to approach him if the cops on the ground were finding it difficult to meet family expenses. He even offered to provide financial help rather than resorting to seeking bribe,” said a senior police official, who wished not to be named.
HALL OF SHAME
December 16: ASI Harjit Singh posted at Kharar (city) held for accepting ₹10,000 for opposing the bail plea of an accused in a kidnapping case
December 12: SI Harjit Singh posted at Dera Bassi held while accepting ₹10,000 to help an accused get regular bail in a case related to theft of land records
December 7: Constable Amarinder Singh posted in the office of DSP, Kharar, arrested while accepting ₹20,000
August 30: Home guards volunteer Mahinder Ram posted in Handesra arrested for taking ₹10,000 for allowing a tractor-trailer to pass
August 29: ASI Channa Ram posted at Gharuan, Mohali, booked for demanding ₹15,000 for settling dispute over construction of a wall
June 6: Vigilance arrests a private computer operator from Sunny Enclave police post, while he is accepting ₹5,000 on behalf of police post in-charge SI Kewal Singh, for filing challan in a case registered against four people in a land sale cheating case
March 12: Two cops arrested in Phase 1 for taking ₹30,000 for letting off a person rounded up in a snatching case; the duo had originally demanded ₹70,000
February 8: HC Jaswinder Singh posted as reader arrested from SP’s office while accepting ₹5,000 at district administrative complex in Sector 76, Mohali
January 4: HC Sukhwinder Singh posted at Sohana police station arrested for accepting ₹5,000 for helping an accused get bail
