Patwari busted! Punjab Vigilance Bureau nabs govt official taking ₹8K bribe

Chandigarh (The Uttam Hindu): Continuing its relentless campaign against corruption, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau today arrested Ram Singh Patwari, posted at Patwari Circle Badala, Tehsil Dasuha, District Hoshiarpur, red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹8,000 from a complainant. The accused had demanded the bribe in exchange for transferring the complainant's ancestral land in Badala village.

Disclosing this here today, the official spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau said that the complainant is a resident of Chintpurni Road, Hoshiarpur and after the death of his father, he had submitted the application for transfer of ancestral property situated in village Badala, Tehsil Dasuha, at the Seva Kendra, Dasuha.

He further said that the accused Patwari told the complainant that the government fee was Rs. 1,200/-, despite this he demanded an illegal bribe of Rs. 8,000 for transferring the complainant's land, the entire conversation of which was recorded by the complainant.

Acting on the information given by the complainant, the Vigilance Bureau recorded the statement of the complainant at the Vigilance Bureau Unit, Jalandhar and after verifying the allegations, the Vigilance team laid a trap and caught the accused Patwari red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 8000 from the complainant in the presence of two government witnesses.

A case has been registered against the accused at the Police Station Vigilance Bureau, Jalandhar Range, under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The accused will be produced in court tomorrow and further investigation into the case is underway.