The Vigilance Bureau on Tuesday caught red-handed a clerk posted in the District Industries Department while accepting bribe.

Ravcharan Singh Brar, Vigilance Bureau, Unit-1, said, “Rajinder Kumar, a resident of Kidwai Nagar and a member of Active Anti-Corruption Group (Regd), Ludhiana, had approached the police with a complaint that the clerk, Krishan Gopal Singh was demanding bribe to transfer a grant that this group had received.”

Brar adds that the Active Anti Corruption Group (Regd) Ludhiana had received a grant of Rs 1 lakh from Deputy Speaker Vidhan Sabha.

To get this grant transferred to the society, the registration of the society was required to be renewed from year 2004-05 till date i.e. for 6 years. The society had applied for the renewal of their society from year 2004-05 to 2009-10.

“Renewal fee was @ Rs 50 per year i.e. totalling Rs 300 which they had already paid. But the clerk, Krishan Gopal Singh demanded Rs 9,000 i.e Rs 1,500 per year as illegal gratification for the renewal. After “striking a deal” for Rs 7,000, the complainant approached the Vigilance Bureau,” said Brar.

Acting on the complaint, a trap was laid and the clerk was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe.

The recovery was affected in the presence of official witnesses, Deep Narayan Yadav, Sr Scientist, and Vinod Malhotra, Sr Asstt, both from PAU, Ludhiana, and shadow witness Ramesh Kumar Banger, a resident of Ajit Nagar, Ludhiana. On personal search of the accused clerk, Rs 26,500 were recovered from him which he was unable to account for at the time of arrest.