Pathankot, October 21: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested Inspector Gulshan Kumar, posted as Station House Officer (SHO) at Dhar Kalan police station in Pathankot district, after he was allegedly caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 1,00,000 (one lakh rupees), a spokesperson of the Bureau said. The amount was allegedly the first instalment of Rs 2,50,000 (two and a half lakh rupees) that the officer had agreed to take.

According to the Vigilance Bureau spokesperson, the arrest followed a complaint by a retired LIC manager from Amritsar. The complainant alleged that after a fight at his younger brother's Madhuban restaurant in the Dhar Kalan area — in which both sides suffered minor injuries and an FIR was registered against a restaurant worker and three unidentified persons — his own name was also listed as a suspect in the case. He alleged that SHO Gulshan Kumar demanded Rs 5,00,000 (five lakh rupees) to remove his name from the case, and that the amount was later settled at Rs 2,50,000, to be paid in instalments. The complainant said he recorded the conversation in which the bribe was allegedly demanded.

Unwilling to pay, the complainant approached the Vigilance Bureau's Amritsar range, the spokesperson said. Acting on the complaint, a VB unit from Pathankot laid a trap and arrested Inspector Gulshan Kumar in the presence of two official witnesses while he was allegedly accepting Rs 1,00,000 as the first instalment. The bribe money was recovered, the Bureau said. Punjabi outlets Punjabi Khabarsaar and Awaz-e-Qaum, reporting the same trap, said the officer was arrested late on Monday evening from the police station premises.

A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused officer at the Vigilance Bureau police station in Amritsar, and further investigation is underway, the spokesperson said. The allegations against Inspector Gulshan Kumar are yet to be tested in court.