The Punjab government on Saturday suspended DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar after his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a bribery case. Bhullar, a 2009-batch IPS officer currently serving as DIG, Ropar Range, was arrested along with his aide Krishnu Sharda on October 16.
Bhullar, the son of former Punjab DGP Mehal Singh Bhullar, had earlier served in key postings including Patiala and the Vigilance Bureau before taking charge as DIG, Ropar Range, in late 2024.
The case began with a complaint from Aakash Batra, a scrap trader from Mandi Gobindgarh, who alleged that Bhullar and his aide demanded bribes in exchange for protection from police action. The CBI acted on the complaint supported by WhatsApp audio recordings in which Bhullar allegedly instructed his aide to “collect eight lakh.” During a trap operation, Sharda was caught red-handed in Sector 21, Chandigarh, while accepting ₹8 lakh from the trader, and Bhullar was arrested soon after from his Mohali office.
Subsequent raids by the CBI at Bhullar’s residences in Chandigarh and Samrala led to the recovery of ₹7.5 crore in cash, 2.5 kg of gold jewellery, 26 luxury watches, documents related to more than 50 properties, four firearms, over 100 live cartridges, and imported liquor. Officials said part of the cash and gold was found hidden inside Bhullar’s Chandigarh house, including under his bed.
As per his 2024 property declaration, Bhullar had disclosed assets worth only ₹14 crore, much less than what was recovered. The CBI is verifying the source of the wealth and investigating possible benami holdings.
Both Bhullar and Sharda were produced before the Chandigarh Special CBI Court and have been sent to 14 days of judicial custody at Burail Jail. The CBI has widened its investigation to trace the money trail and identify other individuals, including several other officers, linked to the case.