Punjab Newsline | Pathankot
Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested Inspector Gulshan Kumar, Station House Officer (SHO) of Dhar Kalan police station in Pathankot district, for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh. The amount was the first instalment of a total bribe of ₹2.5 lakh, according to an official spokesperson of the bureau.
The arrest was made during an anti-corruption drive following a complaint lodged by a retired Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) manager from Amritsar.
According to the complainant, a quarrel took place at his younger brother’s restaurant, Madhuban, located in village Dhangu Sara in Pathankot district. Both parties sustained minor injuries in the incident. Subsequently, an FIR was registered at Dhar Kalan police station against Krishna, an employee of the restaurant, and three unidentified persons. The complainant’s name was also mentioned in the case as a suspicious person.
The complainant alleged that Inspector Gulshan Kumar, the SHO of Dhar Kalan police station, demanded a bribe of ₹5 lakh to remove his name from the case. Following negotiations, the amount was allegedly settled at ₹2.5 lakh, to be paid in instalments, with ₹1 lakh fixed as the first payment.
The complainant reportedly recorded the conversation related to the alleged bribe demand. Unwilling to pay the illegal gratification, he approached the Vigilance Bureau’s Amritsar Range.
Acting on the complaint, the VB unit in Pathankot laid a trap and arrested the inspector red-handed while he was allegedly accepting ₹1 lakh from the complainant. The operation was conducted in the presence of two official witnesses, and the tainted currency notes were recovered, the spokesperson said.
A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at the Vigilance Bureau police station in Amritsar. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
