E-Paper
ASI’s brother held in Tarn Taran graft case involving Faridkot DSP
A day after Punjab Police’s plea to get remand of Faridkot DSP Lakhvir Singh, who was arrested for “demanding” ₹10 lakh bribe, was rejected by a Patti court, Tarn Taran police arrested ASI’s brother in the graft case
A day after Punjab Police’s plea to get remand of Faridkot deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Lakhvir Singh, who was arrested for allegedly demanding a ₹10 lakh bribe in lieu of letting off a drug peddler, was rejected by a Patti court, the Tarn Taran police on Friday arrested an assistant sub-inspector (ASI)’s brother in this case.
The arrested accused, Hira Singh, is the brother of ASI Rashpal Singh, who was posted at the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Patti’s office. ASI Rashpal Singh and one Nishan Singh are also accused in the case and they are absconding.
“Hira Singh was produced in a Patti court on Friday, and we have got his two-day police remand,” said a senior police official.
The DSP was arrested on Thursday after the Tarn Taran district police had arrested a drug supplier identified as Pishora Singh from a petrol pump near Patti Morh after recovering 250 grams of opium and ₹1 lakh drug money from his possession on Sunday. Accused Pishora, a resident of Model Boparai village in Tarn Taran, was wanted in an FIR dated June 30, 2022, in which his aide Surjit Singh of Mari Megha village in Tarn Taran was arrested with 900 grams of opium.
Surjit revealed that he had purchased opium from Pishora, who is the main drug supplier.
When police started conducting raids to arrest him, Pishora tried to bribe Patti CIA in-charge by offering ₹7-8 lakh through ASI Rashpal Singh in lieu of not arresting and nominating him in this case, but the in-charge refused to accept the bribe.
Later, Pishora met Rashpal’s brother Hira Singh through his acquaintance Nishan Singh of Sito village in Tarn Taran and together they approached DSP Lakhvir, who also happened to be the cousin of Hira Singh, where the DSP negotiated the settlement at ₹10 lakh to help the drug supplier, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav had said, adding that the accused DSP instructed Hira to keep the amount with him.
On the disclosure of Pishora Singh, the police recovered ₹9.97 lakh from Hira Singh’s house.
