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Mohali cop demands ₹60,000 bribe for releasing impounded bike, booked
The cop had stopped a Kharar resident at a check post and impounded his bike after an argument; recorded conversation of bribe demand submitted with complaint to Punjab’s anti-corruption helpline
The Punjab Vigilance bureau on Thursday booked an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) for demanding a bribe of ₹60,000 from a traffic violator after impounding his motorcycle at a check post in Kharar.
The accused ASI, Som Nath, is posted at the Kharar City police station. He is on the run.
He has been booked under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act at the Vigilance Bureau police station, Flying Squad 1, Mohali.
A spokesperson from the bureau said the case was registered following a complaint to the chief minister’s anti-corruption helpline.
The complainant, Balbir Singh, a resident of Kharar, submitted that he was stopped for a traffic violation at a check post in Kharar while riding his Royal Enfield motorcycle.
There, he had a minor argument with ASI Som Nath, who impounded his motorcycle and demanded a bribe of ₹60,000 to release it. Singh recorded the conversation and submitted it with his complaint to the helpline.
The spokesperson said an investigation into the complaint found that the facts were correct: “A graft case was registered against the accused cop. He is on the run. Raids are being conducted to nab him.”
Bureau’s chief director Varinder Kumar said the cases were registered only after proper verification and evidence. “We are committed to conducting inquiries strictly in accordance with law, and ensuring appropriate action against corrupt public servants,” he said.
Caught on the wrong side of law
August 17: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested a revenue official, Amrik Singh, for accepting ₹8,000 as bribe from a booth owner to issue him the no-objection certificate
June 2: Mohali divisional forest officer Guramanpreet Singh and a private contractor were arrested for accepting a bribe of ₹2 lakh from the WWICS senior director to favour the firm’s farm house project in Mohali’s Masaul and Tanda villages. Further probe led to the arrest of Punjab conservator of forests Vishal Chauhan as well, for conspiring legal action against the firm
April 29: Avtar Singh, the traffic in-charge at Chandigarh International Airport’s Zone 4, was arrested for accepting a bribe of ₹500 to let off a traffic violator
April 25: Harpreet Singh, a police constable posted at the Mohali Police Control Room was arrested for taking a ₹200 bribe from a taxi driver after setting up a fake naka in Kharar
April 19: A suspended principal of the Industrial Training Institute (Women), Phase 5, Shamsher Singh Purkhalvi, was arrested for demanding a bribe of ₹50,000 from a Ludhiana resident for helping him land an instructor’s job in the institute
April 12: A section officer of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority, Devinder Kumar Sharma, was arrested for seeking a ₹1.5 lakh bribe from a booth owner to issue him the no-dues certificate.
