Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrests forest department official in bribery case

The regional manager allegedly also threatened the complainant that no such tender would be allotted to him in future if he did not pay the money.The complainant paid Rs 5,000 to Sukhminder Singh as the first instalment.

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Wednesday said it has arrested a forest department official for allegedly accepting a bribe.

The official was identified as Sukhminder Singh, posted as the regional manager of the forest department in Jalandhar's Phillaur, the bureau said.

According to a complaint submitted by forest contractor Balkar Singh, Sukhminder Singh demanded Rs 35,000 as commission for a tender allotted to him for cutting trees. The regional manager allegedly also threatened the complainant that no such tender would be allotted to him in future if he did not pay the money.

The complainant paid Rs 5,000 to Sukhminder Singh as the first instalment. The accused official was nabbed while he was accepting the second instalment of Rs 30,000, the bureau said.