Haryana ACB arrests Palwal cop for taking ₹2 lakh bribe in criminal case

Police said the ESI allegedly sought money from a retired colleague to avoid giving incriminating testimony in a 2023 honey-trap case.

A team of the Haryana special vigilance and anti-corruption bureau (ACB) arrested an extended sub-inspector (ESI) on Tuesday for allegedly accepting a ₹2 lakh bribe from a retired colleague to turn hostile in a criminal case registered against him, officials said on Wednesday.

The accused was arrested in an ACB trap after a retired officer complained of a demand to avoid incriminating testimony in court. (File photo)

The suspect was in charge of an emergency response vehicle team deployed under Chandhut Police Station in Palwal, officials said. An FIR under Section 7 (penalty for public servants who demand, accept or attempt to obtain bribes) of the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered at the ACB police station in Faridabad before the trap was laid, they added.

The complainant, a retired extended assistant sub-inspector (EASI), had served at the Camp police station. His name surfaced during the investigation of a honey-trap case registered at the Camp police station in Palwal in 2023.

An ACB official said, “The EASI was the complainant in the honey trap case in which several suspects were arrested and sent to jail. The EASI’s involvement was found in the case after the confessional statements of the other suspects, and he was arrested too.”

After securing bail and retiring, the EASI allegedly faced a demand of ₹5 lakh from the ESI to avoid incriminating testimony. ACB inspector Vijender Singh said, “After three to four months of continuous negotiations... the ESI finally agreed... on payment of ₹2 lakh at the initial stage.” Acting on the complaint, the ACB arrested the ESI while allegedly accepting the bribe. He was produced before a court on Wednesday and remanded to judicial custody.