Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrests woman for ‘accepting bribe’

The accused, along with her aide, had reportedly sought bribe for getting cancelled a transfer order for an employee of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited.

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Friday arrested a woman from Patiala allegedly for accepting a bribe of ₹20,000 in cash and a cheque for ₹30,000. The accused, who has been identified as Dimple, is the resident of Dhobi Ghat area in Patiala. Ajay Goel, said to be her aide, is at large.

An aide of the arrested woman is said to be at large.

According to a spokesperson from the Vigilance Bureau, the arrest was made following a complaint by Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Guru Nanak Nagar, Patiala. Kumar alleged that both accused had demanded ₹2 lakh to cancel the recent transfer of his sister-in-law Poonam Arora, an upper division clerk with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

Arora had been transferred from the PSPCL head office to the superintendent engineer’s office near 23 number railway crossing in Patiala. The complainant stated that Dimple and Goel, both claiming to have strong ties with senior PSPCL officials and ruling party leaders, had initially demanded ₹2 lakh to reverse the transfer. After negotiations, the amount was reduced to ₹50,000, with ₹20,000 to be paid in cash and ₹30,000 by cheque.

Acting on the complaint, the Vigilance Bureau set up a trap and Dimple was apprehended while accepting the bribe in presence of two government witnesses. “Efforts are ongoing to nab Ajay Goel who is absconding. A case has been filed at the Vigilance Bureau’s Patiala range police station and further investigations are underway,” said a senior official of the Vigilance Bureau.