The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is likely to summon several serving and retired government officers in connection with an alleged bribery network in Punjab. According to a report, forensic examination of encrypted WhatsApp chats recovered from the mobile phone of Punjab-based intermediary Kirshanu Sharda has revealed alleged payments and offers linked to official favours.
The chats reportedly mention three IAS officers, including one retired officer, one IPS officer, one Punjab Police Service (PPS) officer and one Punjab Civil Services (PCS) officer. The alleged transactions are linked to government file clearances, administrative orders, confidential project information, No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and police postings.
According to people familiar with the investigation, one of the alleged transactions involved a payment of more than Rs 10 lakh to a retired IAS officer for facilitating the processing of government files and clearances related to forestry projects.
In another instance, an IAS officer was allegedly paid to arrange permanent entry passes to the Punjab Secretariat and secure favourable administrative orders for private entities.
The chats also reportedly indicate that an IAS officer serving in the Housing and Urban Development Department shared internal project files and confidential information with Sharda in exchange for payments totalling around Rs 10 lakh.
The investigation has also uncovered an alleged cash offer of Rs 10 lakh involving a PPS officer, who was then posted as a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP). The offer was reportedly linked to securing the suspension of a sub-inspector and influencing police postings.
In a separate matter involving an IPS officer, the chats reportedly refer to a cash settlement of Rs 2 crore paid directly to a complainant in a sensitive harassment case. However, the report clarifies that the chats do not specify whether any amount was paid to the IPS officer.
A PCS officer has also allegedly been linked to the network through claims that money was channelled to obtain government NOCs for private nursing colleges and medical centres.
The investigation is part of the wider probe into Kirshanu Sharda, who was arrested along with a senior Punjab Police officer in October 2025 in a bribery case. The two were allegedly caught accepting Rs 5 lakh from a complainant as part of a larger bribe demand.
The ED is examining the recovered digital material and other records to establish the alleged transactions and identify the involvement of other individuals. The agency's money-laundering investigation is linked to the bribery case, while the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has separately examined digital evidence recovered from the accused.
Earlier, the CBI reportedly informed a court that its analysis had indicated suspected instances of illegal gratification involving other public servants and private individuals, which were being examined separately.