Vigilance arrests civic body official for taking Rs 10K bribe
The Vigilance Bureau (VB), Ludhiana, caught Gurdeep Singh, alias Sunny, a data entry operator with the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, red-handed while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000.
An official spokesperson for the VB, the arrest followed a formal complaint filed by Amandeep Singh Chandok, a resident of GTB Nagar, here, and a recent candidate for the post of sarpanch from Shanti Vihar village in Bhamian Kalan.
He said Chandok, who was a property adviser and builder, had approached the VB and alleged that Gurdeep had demanded bribe in his capacity as a nominating officer. The suspect reportedly claimed to be working with the returning officer and asserted that his nomination papers contained deficiencies that could be overlooked for a bribe of Rs 10,000. Following negotiations, Gurdeep agreed to an initial bribe amount of Rs 5,000 for processing his nomination file and subsequently, demanded an additional Rs 10,000 to facilitate the submission of nomination files for his team contesting as panchayat members.
The complainant further said Gurdeep had also requested a bribe of Rs 50,000, allegedly to ensure his election victory. Recorded evidence, including calls from the suspect’s mobile phone even after the elections, was provided to the VB, prompting a swift investigation and the formation of a team to lay a trap.
The SSP, Vigilance Bureau, Ravinderpal Singh Sandhu, confirmed that the team successfully captured Gurdeep while accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. A corruption case was also registered against the suspect at the VB police station, Ludhiana Range, and further investigation in the matter was under progress.
