In a significant development, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has apprehended Balvir Singh, a resident of Alampur village, Patiala District, who was an associate of AIG Human Rights, Punjab, Malwinder Singh Sidhu.
The arrest is linked to a corruption-cum-criminal case, with Balvir Singh accused of submitting complaints against department employees, extorting money through blackmail at the direction of the aforementioned police officer.
An official spokesperson revealed that the VB secured a 5-day police remand for Balvir Singh to recover the weapon he habitually carried and to identify additional involved individuals.
The case, registered under FIR No. 28, dated 30.10.2023, encompasses sections 7, 7-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and 384, 419, 420, 120B, 201 of the IPC at the Vigilance Bureau’s police station, flying squad-1, Punjab, SAS Nagar.
The AIG Sidhu, Balvir Singh, and other accomplices are implicated in the case, with AIG Sidhu already in judicial custody. Investigations uncovered AIG Sidhu’s misuse of authority, misrepresentation as IGP Vigilance Bureau, and fraudulent initiation of complaints against government employees for extortion.
It was further disclosed that AIG Sidhu had misused a government vehicle (Ertiga – PB-65-AD-1905), with expenses drawn from the government account. Balvir Singh, acting on AIG Sidhu’s instructions, targeted employees recruited under SC and Freedom Fighters quotas, pressuring them for bribes shared among the accused.
