Forester Arrested by Vigilance Bureau

Hoshiarpur/Nov1/Daljeet Ajnoha :  The Vigilance Bureau, Punjab, has apprehended Forester Surinderpal Jeet Singh, posted at Mahilpur in Hoshiarpur district, on charges of accepting a bribe of ₹15,000.Disclosing this here today, DSP Vigilance Mandeep Singh Sekhon informed that one Tarlochan Singh, a resident of village Theeda, district Hoshiarpur, had lodged a complaint with the department. As per the complaint, certain officials of the Forest Department had confiscated his wood-cutting equipment on false allegations of using it for felling government timber. It was further alleged that the officials demanded illicit gratification for releasing the seized equipment.The complainant stated that the total bribe amount was settled at ₹27,000, of which ₹12,000 had already been paid earlier. Acting promptly on the complaint, the Vigilance Bureau laid a trap and caught the accused Forester red-handed while accepting the remaining ₹15,000.A case under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered, and further investigation is in progress.