Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) arrested an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹15,000 on Friday, officials said.
The accused has been identified as Sanjay Kumar, who was posted at Police Station Division No 8, Police Commissionerate, Jalandhar, a VB spokesperson said adding, that the action comes based on a complaint made by a resident of Reru village in Jalandhar district.
The spokesperson said that the complainant approached the VB alleging that the said police personnel had demanded a bribe of ₹50,000 and was threatening to re-nominate him under section 249 (harbouring offender) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The complainant’s name was initially included in the FIR for harbouring his son but was later removed following a police inquiry. However, the aforementioned ASI continued to threaten him to re-nominate under Section 249 of the BNS in the same case. The complainant alleged that the accused ASI had already taken ₹25,000 in this regard and demanded the remaining amount of bribe, the spokesperson added.
After a preliminary verification of this complaint, the VB team laid a trap, and the ASI was caught red-handed while he was accepting a bribe of ₹15,000 as a second instalment from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. “A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act and under section 308 (2) of BNS has been registered at VB Police Station, Vigilance Bureau, Range Jalandhar, the spokesperson added.