The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) during its anti-corruption drive, has arrested Harpreet Singh, PCS, Assistant Labor Commissioner (ALC) Hoshiarpur, for demanding a bribe of Rs 30,000 who was absconding for the last three months.
In this case, Alka Sharma, Computer Operator posted in his office had already been arrested red handed for accepting Rs 30,000 bribe on behalf of ALC. The VB has arrested Harpreet Singh after he surrendered before the local court as his bail application was dismissed by Hon’ble Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The Hoshiarpur court has granted one day police remand to the Vigilance Bureau for further investigation. Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the VB, said this case has been registered based on a complaint lodged by a person running a shop in Kashmiri Bazaar, Hoshiarpur.
He informed that the complainant had reported to the Vigilance Bureau that he owns a jewellery shop, which he got renovated recently. He subsequently received a notice from the office of the Assistant Labor Commissioner, Hoshiarpur.
When he visited the office, Alka Sharma, the computer operator, informed him that he would face a substantial fine, but she could help to resolve the matter by discussing it with her officer, Harpreet Singh, ALC. The spokesperson further stated that the complainant mentioned that Alka Sharma took the notice from him and went into Harpreet Singh’s office.
Shortly after, the complainant was also called into the office, where Harpreet Singh, PCS, demanded a bribe of Rs.30,000 in exchange for dismissing the notice. The complainant recorded the conversation related to the bribe demand and submitted it as an evidence to the Bureau.
He further added that following a preliminary verification, the VB team laid a trap during which accused Alka Sharma, computer operator, was caught red-handed while accepting Rs. 30000 bribe from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses, but Harpreet Singh, ALC, had left the office.
In this regard a case under Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against both the accused persons at the Bureau’s Jalandhar Range Police Station. After this the VB teams have been conducting raids at various locations to apprehend Harpreet Singh, the Assistant Labor Commissioner, Hoshiarpur. The other accused in this case, Alka Sharma is still in the jail as the court has not granted her bail, he said.