Batala BDPO arrested for taking ₹15,000 bribe

A VB spokesperson said the arrest of the BDPO was made following a complaint lodged by Happy Gill, a resident of Sekhwan village in Gurdaspur

The Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) on Wednesday apprehended block development and panchayats officer (BDPO) Vipan Kumar Sharma, posted at Batala, Gurdaspur district, red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹15,000.

Upon receiving the complaint, the Amritsar range VB conducted a preliminary investigation and subsequently laid a trap in which the BDPO was arrested red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹15,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.

A VB spokesperson said the arrest of the above said BDPO was made following a complaint lodged by Happy Gill, a resident of Sekhwan village in Gurdaspur.

He said the complainant approached the VB and said his wife is a sarpanch of Sekhwan village and the accused BDPO demanded ₹40,000 as a bribe to clear a bill amounting to ₹1.33 lakh related to purchase of cement used in the development works in the village. The complainant further said the deal was struck at ₹30,000 and the BDPO took ₹15,000 on November 20 and was demanding the remaining amount.

The spokesperson further added that upon receiving the complaint, the Amritsar range VB conducted a preliminary investigation and subsequently laid a trap in which the BDPO was arrested red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹15,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.

In this regard, a case has been registered under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The accused would be presented before the competent court on Thursday, and further investigation into the matter was under progress, he added.