Why Was a Senior Punjab IPS Officer Arrested on Graft Charges?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Senior IPS officer arrested for corruption.
- Involved in a bribery case of Rs 8 lakh.
- CBI executed a successful sting operation.
- Significant cash and luxury items recovered.
- Investigation continues to uncover further details.
Chandigarh, Oct 16 (NationPress) The Central Bureau of Investigation apprehended a senior officer from the Indian Police Service, who belongs to the 2009 batch and is currently assigned as DIG of the Ropar Range in Punjab, along with a private individual, due to a bribery scandal involving Rs 8 lakh.
The officer was purportedly soliciting ongoing illegal payments from the complainant on a monthly basis.
A formal complaint was lodged by the CBI against the implicated public servant and his accomplice, alleging that the officer demanded a bribe of Rs 8 lakh along with monthly illegal payments through his intermediary, in exchange for “settling” an FIR against the complainant and preventing any further coercive police action against his business.
The CBI executed a sting operation and apprehended the private individual while he was soliciting and accepting Rs 8 lakh from the complainant on behalf of the DIG at Sector 21, Chandigarh.
During the operation, a controlled call was made to the public servant, where he confirmed the payment and instructed the middleman and the complainant to visit his office.
Following this, the CBI team detained the public servant at his office and arrested both suspects in Chandigarh.
During searches conducted at various locations linked to the public servant in Punjab and Chandigarh, the CBI seized significant cash and incriminating evidence, including approximately Rs 5 crore in cash and counting, jewelry weighing about 1.5 kg, documents related to real estate, keys to two luxury vehicles (a Mercedes and an Audi), 22 luxury watches, locker keys, 40 liters of imported liquor, and firearms including a double-barrel gun, a pistol, a revolver, and an airgun, along with ammunition.
The middleman was also found in possession of Rs 21 lakh. Both suspects have been taken into custody and are scheduled to appear before the designated court on Friday.
Searches and further investigations are ongoing, according to the leading investigation team.