Chandigarh 27 October, 2024 – The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) during its ongoing campaign against corruption in the state, has arrested two accused involved in usurping salaries amounting to Rs 36,67,601 for their personal benefits who were evading their arrests since last four years. “Authorities identified the accused as Gurmel Singh, a retired head teacher, and Sukhwinder Singh, a clerk terminated from his job, both previously posted at Government High School Talwandi Madho in Jalandhar district.”

“An official spokesperson of the state VB disclosed today that they registered this case after investigating a complaint filed by the then District Education Officer of Jalandhar.”

He further revealed that the probe found both accused had connived to commit salary fraud from 2015 to 2017, depositing ₹35,81,429 as monthly payments into the accounts of their four relatives, whom they falsely identified as teachers at the school. Moreover the accused clerk Sukhvinder Singh had deposited Rs 86,172 from 2013 to 2015 with forged signatures of Satpal Singh, then Drawing and Disbursing Officer of Government Senior Secondary School Nihaluwal, Jalandhar district.

The police registered a case under FIR no. 53, dated 20-03-2018, under sections 409, 420, and 120-B of the IPC, and section 13(1)(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act at Shahkot police station, district Jalandhar, against the accused head teacher Gurmel Singh, clerk Sukhwinder Singh, and his relatives Satnam Singh, Amritpal Singh, Ranjit Kaur Warraich, and Gurvinder Kaur.

The spokesperson stated that authorities would produce both arrested individuals in the competent court tomorrow and would arrest the remaining suspects soon.  Further investigation into this case was under progress.