Chandigarh, 8 January 2025 ; The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) is continuing its campaign against corruption in the state. They have arrested Panchayat Secretary, Prithvi Singh. The authorities posted him at the BDPO Office, block Moonak in Sangrur district. They caught him red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs. 20,000. An Audit Inspector works in the office of the Regional Deputy Director, Local Fund Audit, Patiala. His name is Davinder Bansal, and he is the co-accused in this case.

Accused arrested after a complaint lodged

An official spokesperson of state VB disclosed this here today.The police arrested the aforementioned accused after Gurwinder Singh lodged a complaint. He is a resident of village Maha Singh Wala in Moonak and is the husband of the former Sarpanch.

Panchayat Secretary demanded a bribe of Rs 20000

He further added that, subsequently, the complainant approached the VB with his concerns. The complainant alleged that, during this interaction, the said Panchayat Secretary demanded a bribe of Rs 20,000 for auditing the development works. The village panchayat of Maha Singh Wala carried out these works. This happened during the previous tenure. Moreover, he revealed that, in addition, Davinder Bansal, the Audit Inspector, must share the bribe money.

The VB team laid a trap

The spokesperson informed that, after conducting a preliminary inquiry into the complaint, the VB team set up a trap. Consequently, they arrested the accused Panchayat Secretary when he accepted the bribe money from the complainant. This event took place in the presence of two official witnesses. As a result, the authorities have registered a case against Prithvi Singh, who serves as the Panchayat Secretary. The police have registered a case against Davinder Bansal. He is the Audit Inspector. “The VB police station in the Patiala range handled this case. “The authorities will produce the accused in the competent court tomorrow.” Future investigations into this case are in progress, he said.