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Punjab VB books AIG Sidhu, two aides for ‘extortion’
The Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) has registered a case against Malwinder Singh Sidhu, assistant inspector general (AIG) of the human rights cell, Punjab Police, and two others for allegedly exploiting their positions to commit fraud, extort money and take bribe from government employees
Chandigarh : The Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) has registered a case against Malwinder Singh Sidhu, assistant inspector general (AIG) of the human rights cell, Punjab Police, and two others for allegedly exploiting their positions to commit fraud, extort money and take bribe from government employees.
The accomplices have been identified as Kuldeep Singh, a driver from the food, civil supplies and consumer affairs department and Balbir Singh, a resident of Alampur village in Patiala district.
A VB spokesperson alleged that Sidhu used to initiate complaints against government employees, only to subsequently withdraw these complaints in the process of blackmailing and in exchange for illicit gains.
“On the basis of a vigilance inquiry dated October 6, 2023, the VB has taken stringent legal measures, leading to the registration of FIR dated October 30, 2023 against all the three accused under Sections 7 and 7-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 384, 419, 420, and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code at police station, vigilance bureau, flying squad-1, Punjab, Mohali,” he said.
The spokesperson said that during the investigation, it was found that Sidhu, serving as AIG of human rights cell, since 2017, has not held the positions of AIG or IG in VB, Punjab, over the past five years. He said that the investigation uncovered instances where AIG Sidhu falsely identified himself as the IG, Vigilance Bureau, Punjab, to a data operator working at the office of Block Primary Education Officer, Rajpura.
“Sidhu, using this deceptive identity, obtained a photocopy of a government teacher’s service book and took photographs of the initial page using his mobile phone,” the VB said in a press release.
The spokesperson further claimed that Sidhu, dishonestly mentioned himself as AIG/IG of vigilance bureau, in connivance with Balbir Singh, in the departments of Scheduled Castes and freedom fighters thereby procured records of several individuals, only to later initiate complaints against them, blackmailing them and extracting bribes in exchange for retracting these complaints.
