In a late-night operation that remained completely off the radar, the Vigilance Bureau raided the official residence of Batala SDM-cum-Municipal Commissioner Vikramjeet Singh Panthey, falling under Gurdaspur district, on Friday night and took him into custody after hours of questioning.
The team also recovered unaccounted cash running into several lakhs during the search, sources said.
Chief Director, Vigilance Bureau Punjab, P. K. Sinha confirmed the arrest and said that several complaints had been received against the officer, accusing him of blackmailing contractors and demanding commission for clearing development works. “Based on these complaints, a trap was laid and he was arrested,” Sinha said.
The team from Vigilance Bureau, Range Amritsar, reached the SDM’s residence around 9 pm without informing anyone except the local Batala police. Officers immediately entered the house, sealed the residence and began a detailed search. The operation was kept completely confidential, and no one was allowed near the premises.
Sources said the SDM was interrogated till about 12:30 am. For nearly three hours, the officials searched different rooms and questioned him regarding complaints of corruption. Around 12:45 am, they brought him out, made him sit in a vehicle and left without answering any questions.
They added that Vikramjeet Singh was allegedly taking as much as 10% commission for various development projects, particularly those related to municipal works in Batala.
The action followed a written complaint by contractor Amarpal Singh, who alleged that the SDM, in his capacity as Municipal Commissioner, demanded a bribe for clearing pending payments of over Rs 5 lakh for road repair and light-and-sound show work he had completed for the Municipal Corporation, Batala. According to the complaint, the officer allegedly demanded a percentage of the bill amount as a bribe and directed him to meet an SDO for further instructions.
Not wanting to pay bribe money, the complainant approached the Vigilance Bureau and provided Rs 50,000 to be used as trap money. Based on his statement, the Bureau registered an FIR under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
During the trap, the Vigilance team arrested SDM Vikramjit Singh while allegedly accepting the bribe. During a further search, the team also recovered unaccounted cash of Rs 14 lakhs (yet to be confirmed) from the officer’s possession, sources said.
Officials stated that the case is under investigation and that the accused will be produced before court. They have so far not commented on the exact reasons for the late-night raid or the total amount recovered, but the sudden action against a senior officer has created a stir across Gurdaspur.
