CBI files chargesheet against two Chandigarh cops in bribery case

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Chandigarh, July 5

The local unit of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet against Sub-Inspector Balwinder Singh and Assistant Sub-Inspector Harmeet Singh of Chandigarh Police, who were arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 in April this year.

SI Balwinder Singh was posted at the Sector 17 police station and ASI Harmeet Singh at the Proclaimed Offender (PO) and Summon Cell.

The CBI claimed that the accused had allegedly demanded a bribe for not registering an FIR and closing the complaint against Anil Kumar, who had been accused of stealing cheques in 2019.

As per the CBI, complainant Anil Kumar had lodged a complaint with the CBI Chandigarh on April 3 that one Sham Sunder Chadha had filed a complaint against him at the Sector 17 police station for stealing his cheques. In this connection, SI Balwinder Singh had called him to the Sector 17 police station and allegedly issued a threat of registering a criminal case against him and arresting him.

When he tried to put his version before Balwinder Singh, the cop told the complainant that he would close the complaint only after getting Rs 1 lakh from him and further told that ASI Harmeet Singh would meet him for further discussion in this regard.

The complainant alleged that after a few days, ASI Harmeet Singh met him at his shop and told that SI Balwinder Singh had sent him and demanded the bribe amount of Rs 1 lakh and assured that if he paid the bribe to the SI, the complaint against him would be closed and no action would be taken against him.

Anil Kumar claimed that the amount was negotiated and reduced to Rs 40,000. Since he did not want to pay bribe, he approached the CBI, Chandigarh.

On receiving the complaint, the CBI laid a trap and caught ASI Harmeet Singh red-handed while accepting Rs 10,000 as a part of the bribe money from the complainant.

As ASI Harmeet Singh delivered the bribe money to the SI, the latter was also arrested.

On a request by Narender Singh, public prosecutor for the CBI, the court adjourned the hearing in the case to July 18 for awaiting CFSL reports and sanction of prosecution qua the accused.