PUNSUP general manager held for taking ₹1-lakh bribe
An official spokesperson of the VB said the arrest was made following a complaint lodged by a resident of Ferozepur district.
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested Ajit Pal Singh Saini, general manager of Punjab State Civil Supplies Corporation (PUNSUP), who also holds charges of procurement, storage, commercial, construction, and chief vigilance officer (CVO), for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹1 lakh.
An official spokesperson of the VB said the arrest was made following a complaint lodged by a resident of Ferozepur district. According to the complainant, Saini had demanded a bribe amounting to 10% of an alleged embezzled sum of ₹1.25 crore, related to 14,090 paddy bags shown under bogus purchase. Initially, the bribe demand was ₹2 lakh, but it was negotiated and settled at ₹1 lakh.
The complainant, a commission agent operating at the Shahzdi and Mana Singh Wala Mandis in Ferozepur, was allegedly involved in the bogus reporting of 34,250 paddy bags during the 2024 paddy procurement by PUNSUP. A physical inspection revealed a shortage of stock at the rice mills, and the complainant was directed to deposit ₹2.97 crore. He subsequently paid ₹2.5 crore as recovery.
Later, the complainant submitted a representation to the managing director of PUNSUP, claiming that gate passes for approximately 19,040 paddy bags had been deleted from the online portal by the district manager and inspectors of PUNSUP in Ferozepur, leading to an unfair financial penalty.
Following this, Saini allegedly approached the complainant through a mutual acquaintance, Kanwal Deep, and demanded a bribe to resolve the issue in the complainant’s favour. The complainant recorded an audio conversation in which the accused demanded ₹2 lakh as the first instalment.
Previously, the district manager and two inspectors of PUNSUP in Ferozepur were suspended in connection with the same case.
After discreet preliminary verification of the allegations, the VB found sufficient grounds to proceed. A trap was laid by the Flying Squad, and Ajit Pal Singh Saini was caught red-handed while accepting ₹1 lakh from the complainant in the parking lot of Max Hospital, Phase 6, Mohali. The operation was conducted in the presence of two official witnesses.
A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered at the VB police station, flying squad-1, in Mohali.
