Corruption case: Punjab vigilance submits challan against AIG Ashish Kapoor, ASI Harvinder Singh

Vigilance submitted chargesheet against Ashish Kapoor, Punjab Police Service officer along with assistant sub inspector Harvinder Singh arrested in bribery case on October 6

Vigilance bureau on Saturday submitted chargesheet against Ashish Kapoor, a Punjab Police Service (PPS) officer along with assistant sub inspector (ASI) Harvinder Singh, arrested in a bribery case on October 6 in a local Mohali court.

On October 6, the vigilance arrested him for taking a bribe of ₹1 crore through different cheques. Kapoor was posted as the commandant, 4th IRB, Pathankot. Kapoor is currently lodged in Patiala jail. (Representational photo)

VB submitted the chargesheet under Section 7 (Public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act) of Prevention of Corruption Act in the court of Parminder Singh Grewal, Additional District and Sessions Judge. On October 6, the vigilance arrested him for taking a bribe of ₹1 crore through different cheques. Kapoor was posted as the commandant, 4th IRB, Pathankot. Kapoor is currently lodged in Patiala jail.

VB had alleged that AIG Ashish Kapoor had taken 11 cheques from the woman, through which she got ₹1 crore transferred to the accounts of her acquaintances and then took out the amount and kept it herself.

As per vigilance spokesperson, during his posting as Amritsar central jail superintendent, in 2016, Kapoor had got acquainted with a woman inmate, Poonam Rajan of Sector 30, Kurukshetra, who was on judicial remand in a case.

Poonam, along with her mother Prem Lata, brother Kuldeep Singh and sister-in-law Preeti, was also in police remand in a cheating case registered at Zirakpur police station. Kapoor went to the police station and fraudulently convinced Poonam’s mother Prem Lata to help her get bail and acquittal from the court. Kapoor, in connivance with Pawan Kumar, the then SHO of Zirakpur police station, and ASI Harjinder Singh got Preeti declared innocent in the case. In lieu of that favour, Kapoor obtained signatures of Prem Lata on different cheques amounting to Rs1 crore and deposited them under the names of his known people and got them encashed through ASI Harjinder Singh.

Moreover, the bureau had claimed that the receipts of the jewellery found in Kapoor’s locker were in the name of a Kurukshetra-based woman and were addressed to her Kurukshetra residence. Refuting the allegations, Ashish Kapoor claimed that the jewellery in his locker was purchased on his debit card from his salary account.

The vigilance had produced the receipts as evidence of the jewellery amounting to ₹13 lakh weighing 400.14 gram which the Kurukshetra woman had received from the jeweller. The vigilance had produced the statements of 11 witnesses in the court who claimed that they got cheques encashed that were allegedly taken by Kapoor from the Kurukshetra woman and her mother for dropping charges against them. The DSP, intelligence, Pawan Kumar, and ASI Harjinder Singh were also nominated as accused in the FIR.