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Chandigarh drug controller officer in dock for seeking ₹80,000 bribe from chemist
The officer sought bribe from Dhanas-based chemist to issue drugs licence “despite violations”; conduit nabbed while accepting ₹25,000 instalment
A drug control officer has been booked for demanding ₹80,000 bribe from a Dhanas-based chemist to issue a drugs licence “despite violations”.
A conduit, who met the complainant to collect ₹25,000 as the first instalment on the officer’s behalf, was caught red-handed by the UT vigilance department on Thursday.
The drug control officer has been identified as Sunil Chaudhary, while the middleman is Ashok Narula, a resident of Sector 63. They are facing a case under Sections 8 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
A drug control officer oversees drug regulation, ensuring compliance with laws, quality control, licensing and consumer safety through inspections and enforcement actions. Three in number in Chandigarh, they report directly to the director, health services, UT.
As per vigilance department sleuths, the duo was booked on the complaint of Dev Sharan Saha, who runs an orthopaedic surgical shop at Bansal Complex, near Gram Sampark, Dhanas.
In his complaint, Saha submitted that around one month back, Chaudhary and Narula visited his shop for inspection before processing his drugs licence file.
Following the inspection, Chaudhary claimed that there were many shortcomings in his shop and it will be sealed, after which the former took Saha’s signature on a paper.
Narula then offered to get his file approved in exchange for ₹1 lakh and assured that his shop will not be sealed.
Saha said as he expressed his inability to pay the amount, Narula brought down the demand to ₹80,000 and asked him to visit his office in Sector 20 with the money.
But he was unable to arrange the money, so he visited Chaudhary at his office in Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, where Narula was also present.
Saha alleged that he appealed to Chaudhary that he was not in a position to pay ₹80,000, but the official refused to reduce the amount.
The chemist then approached the Vigilance police station in Chandigarh. The vigilance cell laid a trap and caught Narula red-handed while he was accepting ₹25,000 as the first instalment. Chaudhary remains at large.
Narula was produced before the court of chief judicial magistrate on Friday and his statement was recorded under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The vigilance cell obtained Narula’s remand for three days on the grounds that Chaudhary was yet to be arrested. It submitted that his custodial interrogation was needed to ascertain who all from the health department were involved in this nexus.
Threatened sealing of chemist shops
Officials familiar with the matter said drug controller officer Sunil Chaudhary had been threatening chemists with sealing their shops and collecting money in collusion with conduit Ashok Narula.
Chaudhary, who has completed 25 years in service, had come to Chandigarh about a year back on deputation from Haryana. He was earlier posted in Gurugram. He hails from Panchkula and was posted on deputation in Chandigarh around five years back as well.
Narula was earlier working as a clerk in PGIMER and thus had started liaising between chemists and the health department. He is running an office in Sector 20, where he met chemists and got their licences made and cases settled with the health department in exchange for bribe, said officials.
