Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Tuesday arrested a lecturer Umesh Kumar Munjal, posted at Government Senior Secondary School, Lalru in SAS Nagar district, for taking a bribe of Rs 1.16 lakh from P Ranjan, resident of Nanak Nagri Abohar (Fazilka). VB spokesperson said that P Ranjan lodged a complaint that his wife Priya Miglani, who is a government teacher, was posted at Government Senior Secondary School, Kussowal in Ferozepur district, which is around 180 kms away from their residence. Umesh Kumar contacted him to get his wife transferred near home.
The complainant then met him at Sri Muktsar Sahib on October 26, 2021, and the lecturer demanded Rs two lakh for the same. The accused lecturer had taken Rs 1.16 lakh as a bribe from the complainant on different dates and then started demanding the remaining amount of the bribe but the transfer was not done as the complainant did not pay the remaining amount of the bribe to the accused.
The complainant said that Punjab Education Department had opened the portal for online transfers on June 10, 2022, and on the application, Priya Miglani was transferred to Government Senior Secondary School, Bhitiwala, in tehsil Malout of Sri Muktsar Sahib district and she joined the duty on new posting on June 16, 2022. But the accused was harassing them by demanding the remaining amount of bribe.
A spokesperson said that a team of VB unit Fazilka has arrested the lecturer Umesh Kumar Munjal on Tuesday after registering an FIR, dated August 29, 2023, under section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act against him at Police Station VB, Ferozepur Range.