Bathinda: The Punjab vigilance bureau has apprehended ASI Baljit Singh, posted at police station Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda district, red-handed while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000.A vigilance bureau spokesperson said the accused had been arrested based on a complaint lodged by a resident of Bir Talab village in Bathinda.The spokesperson stated that a physical altercation occurred between the complainant’s relative and another party cultivating crops on the land belonging to the former.The complainant’s relative sustained injuries during the fight and was subsequently admitted to AIIMS Bathinda for treatment. ASI Baljit Singh arrived at the hospital to record the statements of those who were injured.The complainant alleged that the accused ASI demanded and accepted an initial bribe of Rs 2,000 on the spot. Later, when the complainant followed up on the status of the case, Baljit Singh further demanded a bribe of Rs 50,000 to register an FIR against the attackers, stated the spokesperson.The complainant told him that he had only Rs 10,000, but the accused ASI asked him to arrange the remaining amount. The complainant requested a few days to arrange the funds. The complainant also recorded the entire conversation of demanding a bribe.Unwilling to pay the illegal gratification, the complainant approached the vigilance bureau range Bathinda, and acting on the complaint, a vigilance bureau team laid a trap and arrested the accused ASI red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 in the presence of two official witnesses.A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at vigilance bureau police station, Bathinda, and further investigation into the case is in progress, the spokesperson added.
