Ludhiana, April 24
The state Police Department has ordered a high-level probe into the sensational disclosures regarding alleged corruption in Ludhiana police district as exposed by a video film made by a hidden camera by two city-based lottery traders and gamblers.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has also admitted the writ petition of lottery traders Subash Katty and Jagjit Singh, alias Bittu Chawla, regarding the exposure and has issued a 15- day notice to the state government to file a reply on the allegations. Notices have also been issued to about 10 policemen, whose names figured in the writ petition. The petition had demanded a CBI inquiry into the case.

Inspector-General (Jalandhar range) S.K. Sharma told TNS over the phone that DIG (Ludhiana range) Mohd. Mustafa had been entrusted with the inquiry. He said the action, if any, against the cops shown taking money in the video film would be taken by the Ludhiana police.

"We have to take action against the bad elements in the department, no matter who was informing us about them,'' he said. Mr Sharma added that generally it is the bad element who knows details about the activities of the other bad elements. He said the inquiry would be impartial.

Subash Katty, also known as the uncrowned Satta King in Ludhiana and his associate Bittu Chawla are listed as bad characters in police records. They are facing several cases of crime, including heinous ones. They have also filed cases against several police officers who had allegedly implicated them in various cases.

'The Tribune' has procured two more video CDs made by these two persons. The CDs show more policemen taking money. The names of all these cops have been included in the writ petition filed before the high court.

An interesting component of the CDs is the manner in which the cops were behaving with these two persons listed as ‘bad

characters’ in police records. Contrary to the hardened poise of a police officer and the rude manner of talking, the cops were quite timid in their conversation. They sit humbly in Santosh Agency, near Shingar Cinema., which is the office of Subash Katty. They are even abused by Katty and Chawla, but only grin at the abuses or burst into a ‘shameless’ laughter.

In some scenes, Subash Katty eats food without offering to the cops. One after another, the cops come and reveal the shady deals going on in the department, especially in cases regarding these two. The cops sit back and promise to “clear” his name from different cases or arrange witnesses for them. They also reveal they are taking money for their ‘Sahebs’.

The manner of taking money is also interesting. Some cops are seen slipping the money quietly into the inner pockets of their clothes or tucking them into their socks. The cops leave as soon as their palms are greased.

Though no senior official was available for comments, sources disclosed that the cops tainted in the CDs were claiming that Katty was blackmailing them.