A block development panchayat officer (BDPO) posted in Maloud block of the district has been arrested red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹15,000, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau stated on Wednesday.
An official spokesperson of the bureau said the action against Sukhjeet Kaur was taken after receiving a complaint from a resident of Sohian village. According to the spokesperson, the complainant alleged that he, along with other villagers, had executed the work regarding laying of interlocking tiles in streets and drainage of the village after passing a resolution. The villagers carried out the work at their own level after they were requested to do so by the Ludhiana executive engineer as a playground in Sohian village had to be inaugurated, the complainant said. The Vigilance Bureau’s statement didn’t mention the amount the complainant wanted the BDPO to clear.
In this regard, the complainant went to meet the BDPO in Maloud, but Sukhjeet Kaur, instead of passing the bill, demanded a bribe of ₹15,000, the spokesperson said. The complainant further stated that he was forced to give ₹5,000 as bribe on the spot and the BDPO told him to pay ₹10,000 later. In his complaint, he mentioned that the work was done by the gram panchayat only after receipt of a letter from the Ludhiana executive engineer. The gram panchayat got the playground levelled and also planted grass and shrubs there besides taking up the work of laying interlocking tiles.
According to the VB spokesperson, the complainant met the accused and urged her to clear the bill but when the BDPO kept on insisting for the money, the complainant recorded the entire conversation and presented it to the vigilance bureau officials.
{{/usCountry}}According to the VB spokesperson, the complainant met the accused and urged her to clear the bill but when the BDPO kept on insisting for the money, the complainant recorded the entire conversation and presented it to the vigilance bureau officials.
{{/usCountry}}After a preliminary inquiry on his complaint, a VB team laid a trap during which the accused BDPO was arrested red-handed while accepting the bribe money from the complainant in presence of two official witnesses, officials said.
A case under Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at the Vigilance Bureau police station Ludhiana. “Further investigation in this case is under progress,” officials added.