VB nabs Punjab police constable in ₹25 lakh bribery case; Bathinda ATO, gunman summoned
The constable, attached to the Bathinda regional transport office (RTO), is accused of collecting ₹25 lakh per month in bribes from transporters
The Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Saturday summoned Bathinda’s assistant transport officer (ATO) Ankit Kumar and his gunman Guranjit Singh for questioning in connection with an alleged bribery scam. The VB’s action followed the arrest of a Punjab police constable Sukhpreet Singh, attached to the Bathinda regional transport office (RTO), who is accused of collecting ₹25 lakh per month in bribes from transporters.
A press release issued by the VB stated that a Mohali district court had sent Sukhpreet on a four-day police remand, who was arrested on Saturday following an online complaint filed by Dharam Singh, a transporter from Lehra Dhurkot village in Bathinda district. The complaint was submitted to the chief minister’s anti-corruption action line.
A spokesperson of the VB said: “The complainant has alleged that his trucks and tippers were being fined by ATO Ankit, constable Sukhpreet, and one Jaggi Singh and that they were demanding ₹1,800 per truck as monthly “protection money” in exchange for preventing penalties.”
“The complainant also claimed that his stationary vehicles were unfairly challaned by the ATO, leading him to pay ₹15,000 via Google Pay to a mobile number provided by Guranjit, the ATO’s gunman. The complainant had recorded conversations with the accused, which were submitted as evidence to the VB,” the VB spokesperson added.
Following an investigation, the VB confirmed the allegations, finding that the accused were soliciting bribes in exchange for allowing the complainant’s transport vehicles to operate without interference, the bureau official said.
Based on the complainant’s statement and the audio evidence, an FIR was registered against constable Sukhpreet and an agent, Jaggi Singh, at the VB police station, Flying Squad-1 in Mohali.
“During interrogation, Sukhpreet admitted to accepting bribes and revealed that approximately ₹20-25 lakh was being collected monthly from transporters. He further disclosed that ₹8-10 lakh was being collected by the ATO’s gunman Guranjit, while Sukhpreet himself was collecting ₹7-8 lakh from the remaining transporters,” the spokesperson said, adding that a probe was on.
