Chandigarh, October 8, 2026 (Vikram Ditya Sharma)
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested a Senior Section Engineer of Northern Railway for allegedly accepting a Rs 40,000 bribe from a Ferozepur resident to implement a court order directing deduction from the salary of another railway employee.
The accused has been identified as Pankaj Bhardwaj, Senior Section Engineer, Northern Railway.
According to a VB spokesperson, the arrest followed a complaint lodged by Ferozepur resident Hardeep Singh.
The complainant told the VB that he had given money to his acquaintance, Amit Kumar, a railway employee, for his personal needs. After Amit Kumar allegedly failed to return the money, Hardeep Singh filed a civil suit seeking recovery of the amount.
The Ferozepur court subsequently passed an order directing the Railways to deduct one-third of Amit Kumar’s salary and pay the deducted amount to Hardeep Singh.
According to the complaint, Bhardwaj allegedly demanded Rs 40,000 as a bribe for implementing the court’s order and making the required salary deduction.
Unwilling to pay the alleged illegal gratification, the complainant approached the VB Range, Ferozepur. Acting on the complaint, the bureau laid a trap and arrested Bhardwaj red-handed while he was allegedly accepting Rs 40,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.
A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at the VB Police Station, Ferozepur.
The Vigilance Bureau said further investigation into the case is underway.
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