On the directives of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, vigilance has arrested Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) Ashok Kumar red-handed in Ludhiana while accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 with the aim of curbing the menace of corruption in the state. The Vigilance spokesperson disclosed here today that the said BDPO has been arrested on the complaint of Sarpanch Lakhveer Singh, a resident of village Bopay Kalan, Ludhiana.
Giving more information, he said that the complainant contacted Vigilance and alleged that the said officer is demanding a bribe of Rs 50,000 for the issuance of certificates used for settlement of development works in the Gram Panchayat and payment of grants. The complainant further alleged that he did not want to pay bribe to the said officer but on his repeated requests a deal was struck with the BDPO for Rs 25,000.
After verifying his complaint, the vigilance team of Ludhiana range laid a trap and arrested the accused BDPO from his office while accepting a bribe of Rs.25,000 from the complainant and the tainted amount was recovered from him in the presence of two government witnesses. .