Vigilance Bureau arrests four, two from district revenue office Ludhiana for bribery
Thursday | Jun 12 2025 | 05:55:23 AM
Thursday | Jun 12 2025 | 05:55:23 AM
New Delhi, July 11
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) arrested four people including two officials posted at District Revenue Office in Ludhiana for allegedly accepting a bribe.
The accused was identified as Ram Singh, who was posted as a patwari; Naresh Kumar, a clerk; and two private employees of CEIGALL India Limited, including the firm’s liaison officers Harkirat Singh Bedi and Tehinder Singh. The company has an agreement with the NHAI.
The accused had accepted bribe of Rs 30,000 from an NRI in lieu of getting him compensation against land acquired by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
As per the complaint, the NRI's 6 kanal agriculture land has been acquired for Delhi-Katra Express Highway and the compensation amounting to Rs 49 lakh has been pending, for which, a file had been submitted at the office of DRO Ludhiana on May 22 this year.
The NHAI has started demarcation and installed pillars on the land. To this, when he raised an objection and asked for the release of compensation for the land first, a JCB driver gave him the number of Mohinder, who further asked to contact Harkirat Bedi, for release of compensation. Harkirat Bedi assured him to get the compensation released in 2-3 days from the DRO office, but asked for Rs 40,000 in return. The deal was later settled at Rs 30,000.
The Vigilance Bureau laid a trap and arrested Bedi red handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 30,000 from the complainant in presence of a government witness, at a dhaba near Sahnewal. The VB has also arrested Tehinder Singh, an aide who was accompanying Bedi.
During his interrogation, he revealed the names of other accomplices- Ram Singh and Naresh Kumar who were held for their connivance with the accused to get the file cleared.
