The Punjab Vigilance Bureau's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) arrested Nikhil Garg, Assistant Registrar of Cooperative Societies in Jagraon, Ludhiana, who also holds additional charge of the Doraha office, red-handed while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh at his residence in Patiala.
Bribe Demand and Complaint
According to an official spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau, the accused was arrested based on a complaint lodged by the manager of a cooperative society. The complainant alleged that Garg had demanded a bribe of Rs 5 lakh in exchange for recommending his application for transfer to Doraha.
After receiving the bribe amount, the accused allegedly made backdated entries and signatures in the proceedings book of the Cooperative Society, Doraha, regarding the complainant's transfer. The accused had also allegedly demanded the bribe in the name of senior officers and informed a senior officer of the Cooperative Society after accepting the money.
Trap and Arrest
The complainant had recorded the entire conversation related to the demand for the bribe. Unwilling to pay the illegal gratification, he approached the Vigilance Bureau's EOW in Ludhiana. Acting on the complaint, the Vigilance Bureau team laid a trap and arrested Garg red-handed while he was accepting Rs 1 lakh from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. The tainted currency notes were recovered from his possession.
Legal Action
In this regard, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at the Vigilance Bureau EOW police station, Ludhiana. Further investigation is underway.
