Chandigarh/Bathinda, October 22: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Thursday said it had arrested Pritpal Singh, private assistant (agent) to Patwari Maninder Singh of revenue estate Chauke, tehsil Maur, district Bathinda, red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹30,000. An official VB spokesperson said the arrest followed a complaint by a resident of village Thikriwala in Barnala district.

According to the spokesperson, the complainant, along with his brother and sister, had purchased land in village Chauke in 2002, but recently found that the revenue records still reflected the name of the previous seller instead of theirs. To get the error rectified, he approached Patwari Maninder Singh, who directed him to coordinate with his private assistant, Pritpal Singh.

Allegations (the complainant's, as stated by the VB spokesperson): The complainant alleged that Pritpal Singh first demanded a bribe of ₹1,50,000 (yaani one and a half lakh rupees) to execute the correction. On a later visit, Pritpal Singh allegedly took him behind the office building and connected him with Patwari Maninder Singh on the phone; during that conversation, the Patwari allegedly negotiated the amount down to ₹1,40,000 (yaani one lakh forty thousand), Pritpal Singh accepted ₹2,000 on the spot, and the next instalment was to be delivered on October 22, 2026. These details are the complainant's allegations as reported by the VB and remain to be established in court.

Unwilling to pay, the complainant approached VB Range Bathinda. The VB laid a trap, during which Pritpal Singh was arrested while accepting ₹30,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. The VB said a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered at VB police station Bathinda and further investigation is in progress. The release reports the private assistant's arrest; it does not report any arrest of the Patwari.