The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) during its drive against corruption in the state, has arrested a Panchayat Secretary, Avneet Singh Bajwa, posted in block Kurda, in SAS Nagar for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 20000. In this bribery case Block Development and Panchayats Officer (BDPO) SAS Nagar Dhanwant Singh has been booked as co-accused.

Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson of the state VB said the aforementioned accused has been booked based on a complaint filed by a Sarpanch against both the officials.

He further informed that the complainant has informed in his complaint to the VB that the BDPO and Panchayat Secretary had demanded a bribe of Rs 20000 for issuing utilisation certificates (UC) of grants used for the development works executed in the gram panchayat from the year 2018-2023.

The spokesperson further added that after preliminary verification of this complaint, the VB team laid a trap during which the said accused has been arrested red handed while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 20000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.

In this regard a case under section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act and under section 61(2) of BNS has been registered against both the above said accused at VB police station, flying squad-1, Punjab at SAS Nagar. Further investigation into this case was under progress, he said.