PUNJAB DIG REMANDED IN CUSTODY; RS 5 CR CASH, GOLD HAUL
PUNJAB DIG REMANDED IN CUSTODY; RS 5 CR CASH, GOLD HAUL
CBI Trap Snares Senior IPS Officer in ₹8 Lakh Bribery Case
A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court has remanded senior IPS officer DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with a major bribery and corruption case. The 2009-batch officer, who was arrested on Thursday, was produced before the court along with his alleged accomplice.
The arrest was the culmination of a CBI operation that began with a complaint from Akash Batra, a scrap dealer from Mandi Gobindgarh.
The Allegation
The complaint, filed on October 11, alleged that DIG Bhullar had been demanding a bribe, referred to as a monthly “sewa-paani” payment of ₹5 lakh, to settle a 2023 FIR registered against Batra at the Sirhind police station and to prevent interference in his business.
The trap was successfully laid in Chandigarh, where Bhullar’s alleged middleman, Sharda, was reportedly caught red-handed accepting a ₹8 lakh bribe from the complainant. Following the apprehension of Sharda, the CBI teams arrested the DIG from his office.
Court Proceedings
During his court appearance on Friday, Bhullar arrived with his face covered by a handkerchief, which the presiding judge directed him to remove before the proceedings could begin. The court granted the CBI’s request for judicial custody until October 31, citing the seriousness of the allegations against a senior police officer.
Massive Assets Seized in Raids
Following the arrests, CBI teams launched extensive, multi-location searches lasting over 21 hours at Bhullar’s residence in Sector 40, Chandigarh, and other properties across Punjab and the Union Territory.
The raid uncovered an extraordinary cache of wealth:
Cash: Approximately ₹5 crore (some estimates suggest the amount is higher), mostly in ₹500 notes stuffed into suitcases and bags.
Gold: 1.5 kg of gold jewellery, valued at about ₹1.9 crore.
Property: Documents relating to over 15 immovable assets.
Luxury Items: Keys to high-end cars including a Mercedes and an Audi, along with 22 luxury watches and 40 litres of imported liquor.
Weapons: Several firearms, including a double-barrel gun, a revolver, a pistol, and ammunition.
Officer’s Career Profile
DIG Bhullar has served in several critical positions, including DIG Patiala Range, Joint Director of the Vigilance Bureau, and SSP of districts such as Mohali, Sangrur, and Hoshiarpur. He also notably led the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that probed the drug-smuggling case against Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia. The CBI investigation into the full extent of the assets and the alleged corruption network is ongoing.
