Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Friday arrested a Punjab Civil Services (PCS) officer Narinder Singh Dhaliwal, posted as Regional Transport Authority (RTA) at Ludhiana, for running an organized crime to collect money as bribes from transporters.
The arrest came after the investigations into a complaint by Satnam Singh Dhawan of Mankawal village in Ludhiana district against the accused RTA Ludhiana on the Chief Minister's Anti-Corruption Action Line on November 18, 2022, along with video clips of Punjab Home Guards (PHG) volunteer Bahadar Singh, attached with the said RTA.
During the probe, it was found that Ludhiana RTA was indulged in collecting bribes through some private persons from different transporters on monthly basis at Ludhiana on the pretext of not issuing challans of their vehicles.
Vigilance spokesperson said that after receiving the complaint, the VB team verified the evidence and facts of the complaint which have been found true. The probe established that the RTA Narinder Singh Dhaliwal used to collect bribe money on monthly basis through some private persons from different transporters for not issuing their challans.
It was found that in the month of December, that he received bribe money of Rs four lakh; out of which, he used Rs 1.70 lakhs for himself and remaining bribe money to the tune of Rs 2.30 lakhs was handed over to PHG Bahadar Singh.
During investigations, the PHG volunteer disclosed to the VB that being a subordinate employee of the RTA, he has to obey the orders of RTA and could produce bribe money of Rs 2.30 lakhs.
The VB has registered an FIR on Friday, January 6, 2023, under sections 7, 7-A, 8 of Prevention of Corruption Act and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) registered at VB police station Ludhiana against RTA Narinder Singh Dhaliwal and others.
PHG Bahadar Singh, on Friday, also produced a bribe amount of Rs 2.30 lakhs in Vigilance Bureau Office in the presence of official witnesses which was handed to him by the accused RTA. He will be produced in the local court on Saturday. Further investigation, in this case, was under progress, he said.