Chandigarh, September 25
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB), as part of its ongoing anti-corruption drive in the state, has arrested a private passport agent from Jalandhar red-handed while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹20,000. The accused, identified as Hardeep Kaur, was allegedly demanding the money to facilitate the early issuance of a passport by using her purported contacts with officials of the Passport Office, Jalandhar.
Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson for the state Vigilance Bureau said that the accused was arrested following a complaint lodged by a resident of Kandola Kurd village in Phillaur tehsil of Jalandhar district.
According to the spokesperson, the complainant had applied for a passport and was informed that her police verification had been cleared. However, when she visited the Passport Office in Jalandhar with her original documents, the concerned dealing hand allegedly told her that the police verification for her passport had not been cleared.
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After leaving the Passport Office, the complainant was allegedly approached by two private passport agents, identified as NP Singh and Hardeep Kaur, near a booth outside the office. The agents allegedly demanded ₹35,000 to arrange the early issuance of her passport without police verification through their alleged contacts with passport officials. The complainant recorded the conversation regarding the alleged bribe demand.
Unwilling to pay the illegal gratification, the complainant approached the VB Range Jalandhar and submitted a complaint. Acting on the complaint, the Vigilance Bureau laid a trap, during which Hardeep Kaur was allegedly caught red-handed while accepting ₹20,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.
The spokesperson added that the other accused, Narinder Pal Singh, alias N.P., is yet to be arrested. The possible involvement of officials of the Passport Office will also be examined during the course of the investigation.
A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at the Vigilance Bureau Police Station, Jalandhar. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
