The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Tuesday arrested a revenue Patwari Gurwinder Singh, posted at revenue halqa Pirubanda, East Ludhiana for obtaining Rs 34.70 lakh as a bribe. He has surrendered before the VB range Ludhiana after the High Court has rejected his bail application. In this corruption case, brother and father of said Patwari along with his agent Nikku have also been booked for conspiring with him in accepting the bribe.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the state VB said this case has been registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by Babbu Tanwar, a resident of Rampura Phool town, district Bathinda against the said Patwari and his private agent on the Chief Minister's Anti Corruption Action Line. The complainant had alleged that the accused had accepted a bribe amount of Rs 40,000 for sanctioning mutation of a property of his father situated near bus stand Ludhiana which was got registered in the year 1994.
The complainant further alleged to the VB that the above mentioned Patwari and his agent Nikku had also taken Rs 3,40,000 for purchasing two 'I-phones' along with smart watches as well as Pakistani shoes costing Rs 3 lakhs from him. In addition to this, the complainant had spent an amount of Rs 80,000 on birthday party of Nikku, a middleman of said Patwari.
The spokesperson informed that during the probe it was found that above said Patwari, his accomplice Nikku, Parmjeet Singh father and Balwinder Singh brother of said Patwari, in connivance with each another, had obtained bribes amounting to Rs 27,50,000 on four occasions in lieu of above said motive.
He informed that as per the verification, the above said Patwari neither did the mutation of property in question nor returned the amount obtained from the complainant for this purpose which proved that the duo accused has cheated him even after taking bribes.
He further added that in this regard a FIR No 29 dated 24-11-2023 under section 7 and 7-A of Prevention of Corruption Act and under section 420, 120-B of IPC had already been registered at VB police station Ludhiana range against Patwari Gurwinder Singh, his accomplice Nikku including brother and father of Patwari after finding them guilty for demanding and accepting bribes and hatching a conspiracy in connivance with each other. He further informed that the father and brother of Patwari had already got their bails from the court but High Court has rejected his bail application.
Since then Raids were being conducted to arrest Gurwinder Singh Patwari and his associate Nikku. So now founding no other alternative the said Patwari has surrendered himself before the VB range Ludhiana. He will be produced in the competent court tomorrow. Further investigation into this case is under progress and his accomplice would be arrested soon, he added.