Vigilance bureau glare on official after Gurugram RTA staff, six touts arrested

Vigilance officials said they received a complaint from a Rewari-based transporter, identified as Surender Singh, over alleged extortion of money by an enforcement team of the Gurugram RTA through touts to allow passing of overloaded vehicles through Gurugram

A senior official of the Haryana state transport department has allegedly become traceless after the State Vigilance Bureau (SVB) arrested a staff of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), Gurugram, and six touts for allegedly extorting money from overloaded trucks, officials said on Monday.

Gurugram, India-January 23, 2023: A girl walking along the long queue of trucks, Long traffic jam at Delhi-Gurugram expressway due to entry of heavy vehicles banned in Delhi wake of the Republic Day parade rehearsal near Sarhaul toll plaza, in Gurugram, India, on Monday, 23 January 2023. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

SVB officials said the senior officer is presently posted at the RTA office in Gurugram. They added that two of the touts and one staff were arrested on Saturday, three touts on Sunday and one more on Monday.

SVB’s Gurugram range superintendent of police, Chander Mohan, said several RTA officials posted in Gurugram, Rewari and other districts in south Haryana have switched off their phones and have become unreachable after the arrests.

“So far, we have arrested a staff of the Gurugram RTA and six touts. Many more arrests will take place. We are also investigating the role of the senior official of the RTA who is untraceable,” Mohan said.

Mohan said investigations have revealed that the racket is inter-district and touts and RTA officials from Gurugram, Rewari and other districts in south Haryana have been found involved.

Vigilance officials said they received a complaint from a Rewari-based transporter, identified as Surender Singh, over alleged extortion of money by an enforcement team of the Gurugram RTA through touts to allow passing of overloaded vehicles through Gurugram.

On Singh’s complaint, an FIR was registered under sections 7 and 7A (public servant taking gratification other than legal remuneration in respect of an official act) of the Prevention of Corruption Act,1988, and Section 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the SVB’s police station in Gurugram on February 7.

The complainant had alleged in the FIR that he was asked to pay ₹44,000 for four overloaded trucks with gravel to enter Gurugram. The trucks were coming from Rajasthan, he said.

Officials said that after registering the FIR on the complaint, a vigilance team arrested two touts — Raj Kumar alias Kalu and Sudhir Narwal — when they were allegedly extorting money from overloaded trucks on the National Highway (NH-48) at two locations in Manesar on the evening of February 11. They said that more than ₹40,000 was seized from their possession that was extorted from the truck drivers.

Officials added that later the team carried out a raid at the parking of the mini secretariat and arrested Gurugram RTA employee Kapil the same day.

Vigilance officials said the senior RTA official got an inkling about the actions taken by the SVB after which he slipped out of the mini secretariat premises.

As per officials, the raiding team also detained an assistant sub-inspector of the Gurugram police who was on deputation with the RTA and attached with the enforcement team when they arrested Kapil, a driver of the RTA Gurugram, who is on a deputation from the Haryana Roadways.

“However, the ASI disclosed in the course of investigation that he had recently started working with the Gurugram RTA and acted as per the direction of the senior transport official for stopping or allowing overloaded trucks to pass through. He has not been arrested in the case yet,” a senior official said. He said Kumar, Narwal and Kapil are on two-day police remand for interrogation. “They will be produced before a court on Tuesday for judicial remand,” he added.

Uday Singh, Gurugram RTA secretary, said he is yet to receive an official report from the SVB.

“I expect to receive the official report by Monday night or Tuesday by email. Once I get hold of the report, I will write to senior authorities for a departmental action against the erring officials,” Singh added.

Vigilance officials said that three alleged touts — Sahil Chhillar, Arvind Kumar and Parvinder Kumar were arrested on Sunday and Narender Sangwan was arrested on Monday.

Haryana transport minister Mool Chand Sharma said none of the erring officials found involved in the racket will be spared. “We will take stern action against them,” he added.