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Chandigarh: CBI nabs Sector-26 beat incharge taking ₹6,000 bribe from vendor
The accused, identified as Sunil Rao, was caught red-handed during a trap laid by the CBI near a public toilet in the mandi on Tuesday. The agency recovered the bribe amount from his possession.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a head constable posted as beat in-charge in Sector-26 police station for allegedly accepting a ₹6,000 bribe from a vendor in the Sector-26 vegetable market.
The accused, identified as Sunil Rao, was caught red-handed during a trap laid by the CBI near a public toilet in the mandi on Tuesday. The agency recovered the bribe amount from his possession.
According to officials, Rao had allegedly been collecting illegal weekly payments from vendors operating unauthorised street carts in the market for a considerable period. The matter came to light after a complaint was filed by Ravi Shankar, a resident of Baltana, who sets up fruit carts in the mandi.
In his complaint, Ravi Shankar alleged that the head constable had been demanding money in exchange for allowing him to set up a rehri. Unwilling to pay, he approached the CBI, which conducted a preliminary verification and found substance in the allegations.
The agency initially attempted to lay a trap on Monday, but the accused did not turn up at the spot. A second trap was laid on Tuesday, during which Rao arrived to collect the bribe and was apprehended on the spot.
Preliminary investigation has also revealed that a portion of the collected money was allegedly being passed on to senior officials, prompting the CBI to widen its probe to examine the possible involvement of other police personnel. Sources said officials linked to the mandi beat may be questioned as part of the investigation. The CBI is now attempting to uncover the entire network of illegal collections operating in the market.
