Chandigarh, March 5
Continuing its drive against corruption in the state, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested Vipan Kumar, a Patwari posted at Revenue Halqa Nawanshahr-1, who had been absconding for three weeks in a bribery case. His accomplice, Rampal, was earlier caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 3,000 on his behalf.
A VB spokesperson stated that the case was registered based on a complaint from a resident of New Abadi, Nawanshahr in SBS Nagar district. The complainant alleged to the VB that Patwari Vipan Kumar had demanded a Rs 5,000 bribe to process the mutation of his ancestral house. Acting on the Patwari’s instructions, he had already paid Rs 2,000 in advance to Rampal, a middleman of Patwari. When further pressured for the remaining amount, the complainant approached the VB for help.
The spokesperson added that following a preliminary verification of the complaint, the VB laid a trap on February 14, 2025, and apprehended Rampal red-handed while accepting Rs 3,000 bribe from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. Meanwhile, Patwari Vipan Kumar managed to flee the scene, evading arrest. Since then, the VB had been conducting raids at his residence and other locations, leading to his eventual arrest.
In this regard a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against both accused at the VB Police Station, Jalandhar Range. The court has allowed one day police remand of the accused and further investigations into this case was under progress, he added.
