Phagwara SHO Arrested in Bribery Case, Sent to Police Remand for Further Investigation
Phagwara: In a significant development, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested Jatinder Kumar, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Phagwara City Police Station, for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹50,000. Kumar was apprehended red-handed by the VB team alongside his accomplice, Jaskaran Singh, a resident of Burj Hamira village in Moga district. Both were taken into custody after being caught accepting the bribe on Friday. The arrest followed a complaint from Kulwinder Kaur, a resident of Chachoki village near Phagwara, who accused the police officer of demanding money in exchange for tampering with evidence in a narcotics case involving her son.
Inspector Jatinder Kumar was produced before Judicial Magistrate Bhawna Bharti at the Session Court, where the court ordered that he be sent to police remand for further investigation. Kumar will next appear before the court on Monday, October 14.
The vigilance bureau acted after a detailed investigation into Kulwinder Kaur’s complaint. She reported that her son Harshdeep, along with his wife Ashima and brother-in-law Ansh Sharma, had been detained by Phagwara police in March while dining at a local restaurant. A Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case was subsequently registered against her son. According to Kaur, the police personnel involved demanded ₹50,000 in exchange for not implicating Harshdeep’s wife and brother-in-law in the case.
Kaur stated that, fearing the repercussions, she paid the bribe to SHO Jatinder Kumar. However, the demands did not stop there. She alleged that the officer later asked for an additional ₹50,000 to return her son’s mobile phone, valued at ₹1.5 lakh, along with a gold ring and gold ear studs, which had been seized as evidence. After paying the bribe, Kaur managed to recover these items.
The case took an even more troubling turn when Kaur further alleged that Inspector Kumar continuously pressured her to pay bills amounting to ₹35,000–₹40,000 for plants and pots he had purchased from a local nursery. Additionally, the officer is said to have demanded ₹1 lakh in exchange for filing a favorable report in court and supporting her son’s defense during the trial. Eventually, they settled on a sum of ₹50,000, which Kaur recorded and submitted as evidence to the vigilance bureau.
Following Kaur’s complaint, the VB conducted a preliminary inquiry and subsequently laid a trap. During the sting operation, Inspector Kumar and his associate, Jaskaran Singh, were caught accepting the bribe of ₹50,000 from the complainant, with two official witnesses present.
The vigilance bureau has now registered a case against both Jatinder Kumar and Jaskaran Singh at the VB police station in Jalandhar range. Further investigation is ongoing, with officials looking into the broader implications of the allegations and the possibility of other victims coming forward.
This arrest highlights ongoing concerns about police corruption and misuse of power in Punjab. The vigilance bureau has reaffirmed its commitment to fighting corruption within the ranks of law enforcement, promising a thorough and impartial investigation into this case.
As the investigation progresses, the focus will be on uncovering the full extent of the wrongdoing and determining whether other officials were involved. This case serves as a reminder of the importance of accountability and transparency within the police force, with the vigilance bureau pledging to bring all those involved to justice.
