E-Paper
Nabha jail: Two prison officials found running extortion racket
Jail minister Harjot Singh Bains said the matter is in his notice and he has asked for stern action against the two prison officials
In yet another extortion racket busted in the Punjab prisons department, the additional director general of police (prison) has ordered an FIR against jail superintendent Iqbal Singh Dhaliwal and deputy superintendent Prabhjot Singh.
A probe ordered by then ADGP (prison) Verinder Kumar, who has now been appointed as the Vigilance Bureau’s chief director, found that both officials were extorting money from inmates at the Nabha jail in Patiala district.
Jail minister Harjot Singh Bains said the matter is in his notice and he has asked for stern action against the two officials. Earlier, two such extortion rackets being run by former Patiala jail superintendent Rajan Kapoor were busted. While one FIR was registered in 2019, another as registered in April 2022 after a judicial inquiry.
Verinder Kumar, who had earlier got FIRs registered against jail superintendents of Patiala and Kapurthala, had marked the inquiry to DIG (prisons) Surinder Singh on specific information of an extortion racket being run by officials at the Nabha jail. According to sources, the allegation against Dhaliwal and Prabhjot Singh is that they extorted ₹2 lakh from one Palwinder Singh, whose son Bhavneet Singh is lodged in jail.
Soon after the inquiry was initiated, Prabhjot Singh fled and didn’t show up before the DIG. Dhaliwal, who was transferred to Kapurthala as the jail superintendent on May 30, is also absconding, said officials.
The complaint
According to the complaint, Bhavneet was shifted from the Ropar jail to Nabha, where he was put in a separate cell. To put him in a regular barrack, the jail officials allegedly demanded ₹2 lakhs. He was allegedly provided a phone from which he was made to call his father to provide the money. Prabhjot Singh allegedly collected the money around 10pm on May 20 from a spot ear Punjabi University, and on the same night, his son was shifted to normal barracks.
In his report, the DIG stated that evidence points to the involvement of both officials in extortion. On the basis of Palwinder Singh’s complaint and the inquiry report, the ADGP wrote to the Patiala senior superintendent of police (SSP) to register an FIR against the corrupt officials.
Though SSP Deepak Parik could not be contacted, sources confirmed that a letter has been sent for legal opinion to invoke different sections of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act in the case.
