E-Paper
Vigilance arrests four for taking ₹70,000 bribe
Four employees of the health departments of Punjab and Haryana have been arrested while reportedly taking a bribe of ₹70,000, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) stated on Wednesday.
Four employees of the health departments of Punjab and Haryana have been arrested while reportedly taking a bribe of ₹70,000, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) stated on Wednesday. The arrested persons were part of a joint team, formed under the joint Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act.
A spokesperson of the VB said the arrested individuals were identified as Deepak Goyal, pharmacist at the Sirsa civil hospital, Gurjit Singh, district coordinator for PNDT, Barnala civil surgeon office, Raj Singh, peon at the Bathinda civil surgeon’s office, and Surinder Singh, driver at the Sirsa civil surgeon’s office.
The spokesperson said the agency had received a complaint from one Dr Ashok Kumar of Patran in Patiala district who alleged that he had in 2020 faced charges under the PNDT Act following a joint investigation by experts in Punjab and the PNDT in-charge in Sirsa, Haryana. A raid on his clinic (Mahavir Hospital) in March this year yielded no incriminating evidence, leading to an inconclusive outcome, he mentioned.
According to the spokesperson, the complainant alleged that Surender Behniwal, who claimed to be deployed in the PNDT team of Sirsa, demanded a bribe of ₹70,000 in exchange for turning a blind eye to “illegal ultrasound sex determination practices” at the clinic. According to the Vigilance Bureau, audio recordings purportedly of Beniwal’s explicit demands are on record which also mention about a few others.
The VB flying squad-1, Mohali, registered an FIR against Surender Behniwal and laid a trap. The accused were arrested in Patran.
