Bribe case: VB recovers ₹20,000 more from arrested ‘scribe’

The accused, Nirbhai Singh, was produced before the court of duty magistrate Karun Kumar on Friday and was remanded in two-day police custody

A day after a man, who claimed to be a scribe, was arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh from a doctor deputed at the civil hospital in Jagraon, the vigilance bureau officials recovered ₹20,000 from his possession on Friday, which was taken as a first installment of the bribe two days ago.

On Thursday, a team of the vigilance bureau on the complaint of Dr Deepak Goel, medical officer (Orthopaedics) at civil hospital in Jagraon, had laid a trap and nabbed Nirbhai while accepting the bribe. (iStock)

The accused, Nirbhai Singh, was produced before the court of duty magistrate Karun Kumar on Friday and was remanded in two-day police custody.

The bureau officials said that the accused had accepted bribes from more persons in the past and it is being investigated.

The bureau has also recovered several expired ID cards of different web channels from his possession. According to the vigilance bureau officials, the accused had worked as a cameraman with a web-channel. He is not a scribe with any government approved channel or newspaper.

Nirbhai had also filed his nomination in assembly elections from Jagraon constituency from Sarvjan Sewa Party but his application was rejected.

SSP vigilance bureau, Ludhiana Range, Ravinderpal Singh said that two ‘scribes’, including Buta Singh of Galib Kalan and Manjit Singh of Leelan; and another person Baljinder Singh of Kaunke Colony, who are also booked in the case, are absconding.

Dr Goel, in his complaint, said that a man Baljinder was admitted to the civil hospital due to injuries. The following day, he examined the man and recommended an x-ray. However, Baljinder left the hospital against medical advice and got himself admitted to a private hospital. Later, Baljinder filed a complaint against Dr Goel to the SMO, Ludhiana, alleging that he had not received proper treatment at the civil hospital Jagraon and had been intentionally referred to a private hospital owned by the doctor’s relatives.

On September 5, Nirbhai and Manjit had approached Dr Goel and introduced themselves as a scribe and claimed to resolve Baljinder’s complaint while demanding a bribe of ₹1.40 lakh, failing which they threatened to implicate him in the case.

Nirbhai had taken ₹20,000 as a bribe from the doctor on September 20. On Thursday, when the accused came to take another installment of ₹1 lakh, the vigilance bureau arrested him. A case was filed against the accused.