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Ludhiana: Graft accused ‘unidentified’ for yrs, court pulls up cops
The issue came to the fore before special judge Amrinder Singh Shergill, who took note of the police’s reply and expressed disbelief over the claim that officers could not identify personnel from their own ranks
Five years after a lottery trader submitted video recordings allegedly showing police personnel accepting bribes, the Ludhiana police still claim they are unable to identify their own 17 men caught on camera, prompting sharp observations from the court and raising troubling questions about accountability within the force.
The issue came to the fore before special judge Amrinder Singh Shergill, who took note of the police’s reply and expressed disbelief over the claim that officers could not identify personnel from their own ranks. A total of 28 video clips of 28 police personnel, allegedly recorded during a sting operation, have been placed before the court. The court directed the police to complete the identification process of 17 unidentified cops at the earliest or submit a report explaining their incapacity to do so, as the police had registered an FIR only against 11 police personnel and had filed a chargesheet against 10 of them on February 19, 2024.
Deputy commissioner of police (investigation) Harpal Singh and additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP-1) Sameer Verma appeared before the court and sought time, stating that cyber investigation and technical support units were being used to identify the individuals seen in the clips. The court, however, was unconvinced, observing that a police force expected to identify unknown criminals cannot plead helplessness in recognising its own officials. The matter has been adjourned to January 5, 2026, after winter vacations, and the court has ordered that a separate letter be written to the Punjab chief secretary to ensure effective action.
The case dates back to 2019-2020 when lottery trader Subhash Ketty alleged that several police personnel were taking bribes from lottery sellers. Ketty had first approached then commissioner of police Rakesh Agrawal with video recordings. When no action followed, he moved the Punjab and Haryana high court, after which an FIR was finally registered in March 2020.
Based on his complaint, several police officials, including ASI Pyara Lal, ASI Lakhwinder Singh, ASI Gurcharan Singh, ASI Harjinder Singh, ASI Sarbjit Singh, ASI Rupinder Singh, head constables Major Singh, Kuldeep Singh, constable Kulwant Singh, homeguard Balvir Chand and Paramjit Singh were booked under Sections 7 (1) and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Proceedings against one accused, Paramjit Singh, were later abated following his death on November 1. ASI Pyara Singh was given a clean chit by the police.
Ketty stated that he had filed a complaint against 28 police personnel, who were caught on camera while accepting bribes, but the police had registered an FIR against 11 only.
Notably, this is not the first time Ketty’s name has surfaced in such cases. In 2003, he and his associate Bittu Chawla, who has since died, had conducted a similar sting operation, leading to the registration of cases against police personnel.
