Chandigarh, Nov 22 (NationPress) The Punjab Vigilance Bureau apprehended Vikramjeet Singh Panthey, the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Batala, on Saturday, caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a complainant.

During a subsequent search at his residence, officials uncovered an unaccounted sum of Rs 13.50 lakh.

A spokesperson for the bureau explained that the complainant had secured a contract for road repairs within the Municipal Corporation and had submitted two bills totaling Rs 372,852 for payment.

Upon meeting with the Commissioner, he was informed that he would need to provide a 10 percent commission to facilitate the payment.

The Commissioner also mentioned that the complainant had completed additional work, including a light and sound show in Batala, for which a pending bill of Rs 181,543 was outstanding.

In total, the complainant was owed approximately Rs 554,395, according to the bureau spokesperson.

When discussing the bills, the complainant consulted SDO Rohit Uppal, who indicated that the Commissioner’s orders must be adhered to, and that a nine percent commission was necessary to release the funds, as stated by the spokesperson.

Unwilling to engage in bribery, the complainant escalated the issue to the Vigilance Bureau. Following his report, the bureau documented his statement at their Gurdaspur office.

After verifying the claims, the bureau set up a sting operation and arrested Panthey red-handed while he was accepting the bribe in front of two official witnesses.

A case has been filed against him under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act at the Police Station Vigilance Bureau, Amritsar range.

Panthey is scheduled to appear in court on Sunday, with further investigations ongoing, as per the spokesperson.