Panchayat secy, former sarpanch land in Vigilance Bureau dragnet
Jalandhar, July 8
During its ongoing campaign against corruption, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) today arrested Mukhtiar Singh, panchayat secretary and a resident of Sona village, and Harbhajan Kaur, former sarpanch, Hiala village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district, for misappropriation of panchayat funds.
Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson for the state VB said the case had been registered against both suspects and others following an inquiry.
Sharing further details, the spokesperson said during the investigation of a complaint filed in 2017 at SBS Nagar, it was found that the Hiala Gram Panchayat received grants totalling Rs 16,45,000 from year 2008 to year 2013 for execution of development works in the village.
Then sarpanch Surjit Singh, acting sarpanch/member panchayat Bakhshish Ram, who died in September 2021, acting sarpanch/member panchayat Harbhajan Kaur and panchayat secretary Mukhtiar Singh committed grave irregularities in the grants by submitting fake bills/receipts and incomplete muster rolls for payment to the labour.
He said based on the enquiry, a case under Sections 420, 406, 409, 465, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC and Section 13(1)(a) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against the suspects and others at the VB police station, Jalandhar range, today. The duo would be produced in the court tomorrow. Further investigations were on in the case.
