The Economic Offences Wing (EoW) of Vigilance Bureau (VB) in Ludhiana, India, has arrested a clerk for safekeeping bribe money following the arrest of Kanoongo Vijaypal Singh for accepting a bribe of INR 5 lakhs. The spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau stated that the accused clerk, Rohit Sharma, received the amount from Kanoongo for safekeeping. Sharma, who is a reader posted at SDM Malerkotla, has been arrested by the EoW. The investigation is still ongoing into the case that was registered under section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act at Police Station Economic Offences Wing.
According to sources, Kanoongo had demanded a bribe from Karamjit Singh, a resident of village Bhaini Kalan, in place of getting family partition (Khangi Takseem) of his land done and providing compensation for the land acquired to build a road. After receiving the money, Kanoongo had handed it to Sharma for safekeeping. Following the investigation, the VB confirmed that Sharma received the amount from the accused Kanoongo.
It is unfortunate that such corruption exists and the VB is taking action against those involved. The arrest of Sharma is a step forward towards curbing corruption in India. The investigation must continue until all those involved are brought to justice, and stricter measures should be taken to prevent such incidents from happening in the future. The public must also play a role in reporting such cases and not remain silent spectators to corruption.