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Graft charge: Vigilance SIT to quiz Faridkot DSP
A high-level SIT of the vigilance bureau will now investigate the alleged involvement of the deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Faridkot, Lakhvir Singh, who was arrested on graft charge
A high-level special investigation team (SIT) of the vigilance bureau will now investigate the alleged involvement of the deputy superintendent of police (DSP), Faridkot, Lakhvir Singh, who was arrested for demanding a bribe in lieu of protecting a drug peddler on July 6.
On Friday, the court of judicial magistrate first class (JMIC), Patti, Gaurav Gupta granted five-day remand of Lakhvir to the vigilance bureau. The vigilance sleuths had approached the court seeking the accused’s custody pleading that they want to investigate the suspected role of one more senior Punjab Police officer in the case.
Sources said the vigilance has told the court that they have recovered the call recordings of the DSP from the mobile phone of Hira Singh, who was arrested earlier by the Tarn Taran police for playing the role of conduit. The DSP, who was posted in Faridkot district, was allegedly in contact with a senior police official, who was having control of the Tarn Taran district’s jurisdiction, for protecting the alleged drug peddler.
The vigilance has also informed the court that their SIT comprising deputy inspector general (DIG) Rahul S, senior superintendents of police (SSPs), vigilance bureau range Amritsar and Ferozepur, Varinder Singh Sandhu and Gurmeet Singh, will probe the matter.
Earlier, director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav had transferred the case’s investigation from Tarn Taran police to the vigilance bureau on July 7 after the local court had denied the police’s plea for getting remand of the DSP. He was sent to judicial custody for 14 days and he had been lodged in the Goindwal Central Jail.
Lakvir’s counsel advocate Deepak Arora said, “We had contended that same lower court is not authorised to give remand once the accused is sent to the judicial custody. We are challenging the court’s order in a higher court.” From the vigilance side, additional public prosecutor Gaurav Diwan presented.
SSP Sandhu said they have just got the files of the case. “We will thoroughly investigate the case and the DSP’s further links,” he added.
The DSP was arrested after the Tarn Taran district police had caught a drug supplier identified as Pishora Singh from a petrol pump near Patti Morh after recovering 250 grams of opium and ₹1 lakh drug money from his possession. Accused Pishora, a resident of Model Boparai village in Tarn Taran, was wanted in an FIR dated June 30, 2022, in which his aide Surjit Singh of Mari Megha village in Tarn Taran was arrested with 900 grams of opium.
Surjit revealed that he had purchased opium from Pishora, who is the main drug supplier.
When police started conducting raids to arrest him, Pishora tried to bribe Patti CIA in-charge by offering ₹7-8 lakh through police ASI Rashpal Singh in lieu of not arresting and nominating him in this case, but the in-charge refused to accept the bribe.
Later, Pishora met Rashpal’s brother Hira Singh through his acquaintance Nishan Singh of Sito village in Tarn Taran and approached DSP Lakhvir, who also happened to be the cousin of Hira Singh, where the DSP negotiated the settlement at ₹10 lakh to help the drug supplier.
Earlier on July 8, Hira Singh was arrested by the Tarn Taran police and sent to two-day police remand.
