Vikram Ditya Sharma/Ferozepur

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB), has booked an SDO rank official besides an Agriculture Sub Inspector for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000,00 from one of the candidates while doing duty as Returning Officers (RO) during the recently held Panchayat elections. The VB sleuths have managed to nab one of the accused identified as Gulab Singh who had been working as SDO in irrigation department while the other accused identified Davinder Singh Agriculture Sub-Inspector is on the run.

Divulging details, the VB officials said that the FIR had been registered following the complaint lodged by one Gurpreet Singh, a farmer from village Mana Singh Wala in Ghall Khurd block, in Ferozpur on the Chief Minister’s Anti-Corruption Action Line.

He said that during the investigation, it was found that the complainant, Gurpreet Singh had filed his nomination papers to contest election for the position of “Sarpanch” in the recently held Panchayats elections. As per the complainant, the accused S.D.O. Gulab Singh, being the RO at block Ghall Khurd, had demanded and accepted a bribe of Rs. 10,00,000 from the complainant on 04.10.2024 in the presence of the other accused Davinder Singh, who had been deployed as Assistant Returning Officer at block Ghall Khurd.

The VB officials said that as per the complainant, on 05.10.2024, an unknown individual collected another Rs 5,00,000 on behalf of Gulab Singh, at a petrol pump, close to his residence on Baghi Road, Ferozepur. The complainant further alleged that despite paying the bribe, his nomination papers for the Sarpanch position were rejected on 06.10.2024.

“Subsequently, ARO Davinder Singh, contacted SDO Gulab Singh to return the bribe money. This conversation was recorded by Davinder Singh on mobile phone and sent it to the complainant, who in turn had provided it to the VB as an evidence. Later the recording had revealed that the accused Gulab Singh and Davinder Singh, had conspired to extort a bribe from the complainant in exchange for not rejecting his nomination papers”, said VB officials.

“Based on these findings, a case has been registered against both the accused, under Prevention of Corruption Act, at VB police station Ferozepur range. In this case accused SDO Gulab Singh has been arrested and a hunt has been launched to nab the other accused”, said VB official adding further investigation in this case was under progress