Chandigarh: Senior Punjab IPS officer Harcharan Singh Bhullar, currently Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Ropar Range, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday for allegedly demanding a bribe of ₹8 lakh to settle a police case. However, Bhullar has strongly denied the charges and claimed he is being framed.

Why was Bhullar arrested? What does he say about the allegations?

Bhullar was taken into custody following a complaint filed on October 11 by Akash Batta, a businessman from Mandi Gobindgarh, Punjab. Batta alleged that Bhullar, through an aide, demanded illegal payments to settle an FIR registered against him and protect his scrap business from police action.

The CBI’s investigation uncovered evidence including a recorded WhatsApp call in which Bhullar allegedly instructed his aide to collect ₹8 lakh from the complainant. Along with the bribe demand, Bhullar was accused of seeking monthly “sewa-paani” payments and threatening false criminal cases if the payments were not made.

However, Bhullar has denied all accusations. On being presented before the court, he stated the allegations were “totally wrong”, and when asked if he believed he was being targeted, he said, “absolutely.”

What did the CBI find?

The CBI recovered over ₹5 crore in cash, 1.5 kilograms of gold jewellery, documents related to properties, and luxury items from Bhullar’s residences. Additionally, ₹21 lakh cash was seized from the middleman involved in the bribery case. Arms and ammunition were also recovered.

Following these developments, Bhullar was remanded to judicial custody until October 31 by the CBI court in Chandigarh.

CBI registered a corruption case against Bhullar. The FIR, was filed by the CBI Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), Chandigarh, under Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023 and Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.