Adopting a zero-tolerance approach toward corruption, a Mohali sessions court on Friday convicted Parveen Kumar, a clerk, and Satish Kumar, a junior engineer, both posted at the improvement trust in Ropar. The court sentenced both individuals to four years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹20,000 each.
The duo was previously arrested red-handed by the vigilance bureau (VB) in a corruption case. Disclosing details of the case, an official spokesperson for the VB said that the accused had demanded a bribe of ₹15,000 from the complainant in lieu of getting the sale deed registered for his property.
The spokesperson further revealed that the complainant had been paying the bribe in installments and approached the VB before handing over the final payment.
Acting on the complaint, the VB laid a trap and conducted a raid at the improvement trust office in Ropar. During the operation, bribe money amounting to ₹7,500 was recovered from Parveen in the presence of government officials and witnesses. Both Parveen and Satish were apprehended at the scene.