The Fact News Service
Chandigarh, September 28
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) during its ongoing campaign against corruption in the state, has arrested a journalist namely Pawan Verma, Chief Editor, City Kesari, a social media web channel from Jalandhar and resident of Kartar Nagar, Jalandhar, red-handed while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 5000. The court has sent him for one day police remand for further investigation. His accomplice and web journalist Munish Tokhi, Editor, Punjab Dainik News, a social media website from Jalandhar has been absconding.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the state VB said the above mentioned accused has been arrested based on a complaint lodged by Pyare Lal, a resident of Suraj Ganj West, Jalandhar city.
Giving more details he added that the complainant has approached the VB and informed that he is constructing a commercial shop on his plot at village Kingra, Sudama Vihar, Jalandhar but its map had not been passed from the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar (MCJ). The complainant further added that on 24.09.2024, two persons came to his shop namely aforementioned Pawan Verma, from City Kesari media and Munish Tokhi, Editor, Punjab Dainik News, and they took photographs of his under construction shop in the mobile phone and threatened him to stop construction work at his shop as the map had not been passed by the MCJ.
The spokesperson informed that the accused Pawan Verma convinced the complainant that his shop would not be demolished if he pays Rs. 10,000 bribe as they have good connections with the MCJ officials.
The accused Pawan Verma asked the complainant to transfer Rs.4000 online and pay the balance money of Rs.5000 later.
Thereafter, said accused Pawan Verma started calling the complainant and his father demanding a bribe of Rs. 9,000 and the complainant under pressure transferred Rs.4000 to the said mobile number of accused Pawan Verma on 26.09.24. Upon receiving this illegal gratification, they pressurised the complainant to pay the remaining money of Rs 5,000.
The spokesperson informed that after preliminary enquiry into this complaint, a VB team laid a trap during which the accused Pawan Kumar was arrested while he was accepting a bribe of Rs 5,000 as second instalment from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.
He further informed that during this trap an accomplice of accused Pawan Kumar, namely Munish Tokhi, Editor, Punjab Dainik News, escaped from the spot.
In this regard a case under prevention of corruption act has been registered against both the accused at VB police station Jalandhar range.
The spokesperson added that during interrogation accused Pawan Verma revealed that he had also taken bribe money of 2500 through UPI and Rs. 5000 cash from Girish Kumar of Phagawara and Chopra, a resident of Sodal Road, near Kali Mata Mandir Jalandhar, respectively by threatening them to get demolish their respective buildings from the MCJ due to un approved maps from the corporation.
The VB would conduct in-depth investigation regarding the facts that the aforementioned duo accused have taken money from other persons by misusing the names of Municipal Corporation officials.
