Punjab: Hoshiarpur assistant labour commissioner, aide booked for graft

The Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) has arrested a computer operator of Harpreet Singh, assistant labour commissioner, Hoshiarpur, after she was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹30,000. The other accused is absconding.

A spokesperson of the bureau said that a corruption case was registered against Alka Sharma, the computer operator, and Harpreet following a complaint lodged by Rohit Chauhan, who runs a jewellery shop in Kashmiri Bazar, Hoshiarpur.

The complainant reported to the VB that he had received a notice from the office of the assistant labour commissioner, Hoshiarpur, after he recently renovated his shop. “When the complainant visited the office, Alka informed him that he would face a substantial fine, but she could help to resolve the matter by discussing it with her superior Harpreet,” the VB official said. “The complainant further mentioned that Alka took the notice and went into Harpreet’s chamber. Soon after, the complainant was called in the chamber where Harpreet demanded a bribe of ₹30,000 in exchange for dismissing the notice. The complainant recorded the conversation and submitted it as an evidence to the bureau,” the VB official added.

The VB spokesperson further said that following a preliminary investigation, the bureau formed a team and laid a trap to nab the accused.

During the operation, Alka was caught red-handed while accepting the bribe from the complainant in the presence of official witnesses, but Harpreet was not found in the office.

The VB spokesperson said that a case under Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against both the accused at the bureau’s Jalandhar range police station.

“Raids are being conducted at various locations to nab Harpreet, the assistant labour commissioner, Hoshiarpur. A probe into the case is on,” the VB official said, adding that Alka was produced in a local court which sent her to judicial custody for 14 days.