Punjab cop takes lift from biker in Chandigarh, steals ₹1.5 lakh

In job on compassionate grounds, he committed such crimes earlier too in order to fund his drug addiction, said police

A Punjab Armed Police constable has been arrested for stealing ₹1.5 lakh from a petrol pump employee’s bag after taking lift on his bike on February 15, Chandigarh Police said on Saturday.

CCTV footage helped identify Lovepreet Singh, 28, a Punjab Armed Police constable posted at the Vidhan Sabha.

The accused has been identified as Lovepreet Singh, 28, from Gurdaspur, who has been on duty at the entrance of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha. He had got the job on compassionate grounds eight years ago, and has committed such crimes earlier too in order to fund his drug addiction, said police.

Akashdeep of Mullanpur Garibdas, Mohali, told police that he works at a petrol pump in Sector 34 and was on his way to Panchkula to deposit the daily collections when a man in khaki uniform waved him down and asked for a lift near the Sector 7/19/26/27 roundabout. Akashdeep dropped him at the grain market in Sector 26, and on reaching Panchkula, he realised that ₹1.5 lakh were missing from his bag.

Lovepreet was identified through CCTV footage, and arrested following a tip-off from near the secretariat building in Sector 1. Police have recovered ₹90,000 of the stolen amount, and will produce him in court on Sunday. He has been booked under Section 379 (theft) of the Indian Penal Code.