Gurdaspur, May 16, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Punjab Civil Services (PCS) officer Anupreet Kaur Randhawa was arrested on Saturday in connection with an alleged Rs 1.63-crore embezzlement case linked to compensation for land acquired for a national highway project in Punjab.
Randhawa, currently posted as Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Gurdaspur, was taken into custody by the Patti Police from her official residence early Saturday morning at around 7 am, official sources said.
The case pertains to the alleged fraudulent disbursal of compensation related to land acquisition for the Jammu-Kashmir-Rajasthan Highway project, also referred to as the Amritsar-Bathinda Express Highway corridor.
The alleged scam surfaced after then SDM Patti, Navraj Singh Brar, flagged irregularities before the then Deputy Commissioner Pradeep Sabharwal. It was found that compensation amounting to Rs 1.63 crore had allegedly been transferred to five individuals who were neither landowners nor named in the official land acquisition notification issued by the Union Government.
The beneficiaries identified in the investigation included Jasbir Kaur of Mananwalia, Rajwinder Kaur of Fatehpur Algon, Sartaj Singh of Kot Dausandhi Mall, Bikramjit Singh of Amritsar and Gurjit Kaur.
Following a preliminary inquiry, FIR No. 47 dated September 5, 2019, was registered at Patti City Police Station under Sections 419, 420, 409 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code related to cheating, criminal breach of trust and criminal conspiracy.
According to the FIR, revenue department records did not indicate that any land belonging to the five accused had been acquired for National Highway-54. Investigators reportedly found that their names were absent from the 2013 Gazette notification issued by the Centre regarding acquisition of land in six villages falling under Patti subdivision, including Tatla, Harike, Natthupur, Booh, Marhana and Jauneke.
The probe further revealed that the compensation payments were allegedly released on the basis of approvals bearing the signatures of the then SDM, Anupreet Kaur Randhawa. Authorities alleged that the funds were transferred without proper verification of revenue records, resulting in significant loss to the government exchequer.
Following the revelations, a committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner was constituted to conduct a detailed inquiry. The report was later submitted to the Punjab Government, after which then Punjab Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh ordered Randhawa’s suspension.
Police officials said further investigation in the case is underway.
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