CBI court sends Punjab DIG, arrested for taking bribes, to 14 day judicial custody

Chandigarh: A CBI court here on Friday sent Punjab Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ropar Range, Harcharan Singh Bhullar, to 14 days’ judicial custody following his arrest on bribery charges and the recovery of a massive amount of cash and jewellery weighing about 1.5 kg from his house.

The Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday arrested Bhullar, a senior Indian Police Service officer of the 2009 batch, along with middleman Kirshanu Sharda, in a bribery case involving Rs 8 lakh.

The arrest came after a scrap dealer filed a complaint alleging that DIG Bhullar demanded monthly bribes, referred to as “sewa-paani”, in exchange for settling a 2023 first information report (FIR) against him.

A case was registered by the CBI against the senior police officer and his associate on allegations that the officer demanded a bribe of Rs 8 lakh and monthly illegal gratification through his middleman for “settling” the FIR registered against the complainant and ensuring that no further coercive or adverse police action was taken against his business.

The CBI laid a trap and caught the private individual red-handed while demanding and accepting Rs 8 lakh from the complainant on behalf of the DIG at Sector 21, Chandigarh.

During the trap proceedings, a controlled call was made to the DIG, during which he acknowledged the payment and directed the middleman and complainant to come to his office.

Subsequently, the CBI team apprehended Bhullar from his office and arrested both accused in Chandigarh.

During searches at various premises linked to the DIG in Punjab and Chandigarh, the CBI recovered substantial cash and incriminating material, including cash of approximately Rs 5 crore (and counting); jewellery weighing about 1.5 kg; documents pertaining to immovable properties and assets in Punjab; keys of two luxury vehicles (Mercedes and Audi); 22 luxury watches; locker keys; 40 litre of imported liquor bottles; and firearms – a double barrel gun, a pistol, a revolver, an airgun, along with ammunition.

The recovery from the middleman, including cash of Rs 21 lakh.

Bhullar, son of former Punjab DGP M.S. Bhullar, also headed a Special Investigation Team in the high-profile drug case relating to Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia.

IANS