Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB), in a major breakthrough in the campaign against corruption, on Monday caught an Assistant Controller Finance and Accounts (ACFA) of the State’s Food and Civil Supplies Department, red-handed, while receiving bribe money of Rs 1 lakh.
In another matter, the Bureau has nabbed a Panchayat Officer, red-handed while receiving bribe of Rs 25,000.
VB official spokesperson said that ACFA Ashwani Kumar Bansal was nabbed on a complaint of Food and Civil Supplies inspector Manjit Singh who, in his complaint, had accused that ACFA was demanding bribe of Rs 4 lakh for remaining mute on a departmental case against him (Manjit Singh).
The complainant has already given the first installment to the tune of Rs 1 lakh to the accused. “The accused was nabbed red-handed on Monday by the vigilance team led by DSP Bikramjeet Singh and DSP Gurpreet Kaur Purewal while receiving second installment of Rs one lakh, which was recovered from him in the presence of witnesses,” he added.
The complaint stated that when the complainant was posted as Food Supplies Inspector at Mullanpur, the stock of wheat, under his charge, was found less. The case was further forwarded to ACFA for departmental inquiry, and the ACFA was demanding bribe for his inaction on the inquiry report.
A case against accused has been lodged under Section 7 and 13 (2) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 in Vigilance Police Station, ludhiana.
In another matter, Nabha’s Panchayat Officer Pardeep Kumar was nabbed on the complaint of Patiala’s village Khurd’s resident Piara Singh who had charged him for demanding bribe for dropping the matter of alleged missing record for the period
2008-2012.
On the tip of the complainant, a trap was laid by the team of Vigilance Bureau, Patiala, headed by DSP KD Sharma, and the Panchayat Officer was arrested red handed while accepting bribe of Rs 25,000 from the complainant on behalf of BDPO, Baljit Singh, said the spokesperson.
The accused was apprehended in the presence of two government witnesses and one shadow witness.