Punjab vigilance bureau arrests PUNSUP GM in bribery sting

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau, during its ongoing drive against corruption in the state, arrested General Manager PUNSUP, Ajit Pal Singh Saini, who also holds charges of procurement, storage, commercial, construction, and Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO), red-handed while he was accepting a bribe of Rs one lakh.

Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson of the state VB said the arrest has been made following a complaint lodged by a resident of Ferozpur district.

He further informed that the complainant has approached the VB and alleged that the aforementioned General Manager of PUNSUP has been demanding a bribe of 10% of the total embezzled amount of about Rs 1.25 crore, the price of 14090 paddy bags allegedly shown under bogus purchase, and has demanded Rs 2 lakh as a first installment. However, the deal was settled for Rs one lakh after negotiations.

The complainant is a commission agent at Mandis in Shahzdi and Mana Singh Wala, in Ferozepur. During the purchase of paddy by PUNSUP in the year 2024, a total of about 34,250 paddy bags were found less during physical inspection of stocks in the concerned rice mills.

The commission agent (Ahartiya) firm of the complainant was alleged to have been involved in reporting a bogus purchase of a total of about 34,250 paddy bags. Subsequently, he was directed to deposit the deficient amount of Rs 2.97 crores; subsequently, the complainant has deposited Rs 2.50 crores with PUNSUP as recovery.

Eventually, the complainant filed a representation with Managing Director PUNSUP that gate passes of about 19,040 paddy bags were deleted later from the online portal by District Manager Ferozepur and Inspectors of PUNSUP Ferozepur; as such, he was wrongly fined for these bags. Thereafter, accused Ajit Pal Saini, GM, approached the complainant through a common acquaintance, Kanwal Deep, and demanded a bribe for settling the matter in the favor of the complainant.

The complainant has recorded an audio conversation of the accused wherein he demanded Rs 200,000 as the first installment. Earlier, District Manager Ferozepur and 2 inspectors of PUNSUP Ferozepur were also suspended by the department in the same matter.

The spokesperson added that preliminary verification of allegations was conducted discreetly, and after finding the allegations prima facie to be true, a VB team from the flying squad laid a trap during which the aforementioned general manager was caught red-handed in the parking of Max Hospital, Phase 6, Mohali, while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. In this regard, a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered at the VB police station, Flying Squad-1, Punjab, at Mohali.

The VB team has recovered Rs 100,000 in bribe money from his possession and the official car of the accused, in which he came on the spot to receive money, was also taken into possession. He would be produced in the competent court tomorrow, and further investigation into this case was under progress, he said.