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Ludhiana: Day after arrest of ASI for graft, SHO’s role comes under scanner
VB officials said the ASI demanded ₹2.5 lakh from the brother of an accused, out of which ₹2 lakh were demanded in SHO’s name.
Ludhiana
A day after the arrest of assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Janak Raj posted as incharge of police post Kailash Chowk on graft charges, the role of inspector Amritpal Sharma, SHO at Division number 8 police station, is also under the scanner. According to the vigilance bureau officials, the ASI demanded ₹2.5 lakh from the brother of the cheating accused, out of which ₹2 lakh were demanded in the name of the SHO and ₹50,000 for himself.
The ASI was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau while accepting ₹15,000 from the brother of Amit Kumar Pabbi, an accused of ₹4.57 crore fraud.
Disclosing this here on Wednesday, an official spokesperson of the state VB said the ASI has been arrested based on a complaint lodged by Gaurav Kumar, a resident of Civil Line, Ludhiana, whose brother Amit Kumar Pabbi was arrested by the police in a fraud case.
The complainant said that his brother was arrested in a case where the ASI was the investigating officer. In this regard, the complainant alleged that when he went to meet brother in the police station, the accused ASI took a ₹10,000 bribe on the spot for allowing him to meet his brother.
He alleged that accused ASI demanded bribe money ₹2 lakh in the name of SHO and ₹50,000 for himself in lieu of not getting the complainant’s brother further police remand. The entire conversation regarding the demand of bribe was recorded by the complainant.
Unwilling to pay any illegal gratification, the complainant approached the Vigilance Bureau range, Ludhiana. After a preliminary inquiry on his complaint, the VB team laid a trap during which the accused ASI Janak Raj was arrested red-handed while accepting an instalment of ₹15,000 as bribe from the complainant in presence of two official witnesses.
In this regard, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at VB police station, Ludhiana, and further investigation into this case is under progress. According to the officials, they are scanning the role of the SHO also.
The SHO is not new to the controversy. Earlier, the Punjab State and Chandigarh Human Rights Commission had directed the commissioner of police, Ludhiana, to look into allegations of misuse of police powers and violation of Supreme Court guidelines by SHO of Police Station Division Number 8, and incharge police post, Ghumar Mandi. The Commission was hearing a complaint filed by Dr Sumeet Sofat of Ludhiana, who alleged that the SHO and investigating officer issued an illegal and defective notice under Section 35(3) of the BNSS in connection with an FIR lodged against them in October 2025 following the complaint of income tax officials, despite the offences being non-cognisable in nature.
