Punjab Vigilance Bureau catches 187 bribe takers red-handed in 2025
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh, January 11, 2026: With a determined multi-pronged strategy to eliminate corruption from society, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has apprehended 187 persons red-handed while accepting bribes during the year 2025, reflecting the Punjab Government’s firm resolve that actions speak louder than words.
Disclosing this, an official spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau said that 144 government officials and 43 private individuals were caught in 127 trap cases over the past year. The crackdown included 18 gazetted officers and 126 non-gazetted officials, underscoring the Bureau’s zero-tolerance stance against corruption at all levels.
Providing department-wise details, the spokesperson revealed that those nabbed included 43 personnel from the Punjab Police, 20 from the Revenue Department, 21 from the Power Department, 14 from Panchayats and Rural Development, 9 from Transport, 8 from Local Bodies, 5 each from Forest and Health departments, and 3 from the Mandi Board. Additionally, two employees each from the Education, Cooperation, Food & Civil Supplies, and Personnel departments were also caught in graft cases.
During the year, the Vigilance Bureau registered 113 criminal cases involving 17 gazetted officers, 98 non-gazetted officials, and 118 private persons. Besides this, 38 vigilance enquiries were initiated against 17 gazetted officers, 20 non-gazetted officials, and 15 private individuals, while 10 disproportionate assets cases were registered against 11 officials and 2 private persons.
As a result of convictions in vigilance cases, six non-gazetted officers were dismissed from service by their respective administrative departments. The Bureau also successfully concluded 65 vigilance enquiries during the year.
Sharing judicial outcomes, the spokesperson said that various competent courts convicted 63 accused in 34 cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act. These included 3 gazetted officers, 38 non-gazetted officials, and 22 private persons, who were awarded imprisonment ranging from one to five years. Courts also imposed fines ranging between Rs 5,000 and Rs 2.01 lakh, amounting to a total of Rs 18.71 lakh.
To strengthen public participation, the Vigilance Bureau conducted extensive awareness campaigns during Vigilance Awareness Week, organizing seminars and public meetings in both urban and rural areas. Integrity pledges were administered to all officers and employees of the Bureau. During the year, the VB received 6,158 complaints, including 363 through the Anti-Corruption Helpline.
The spokesperson further informed that several prominent persons were booked or arrested in corruption cases during the year, including former Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, MLA Raman Arora, IPS officer Harcharan Singh Bhullar, Assistant Commissioner CGST Ravinder Kumar Sharma (Jalandhar), PCS officers Vikramjeet Singh Panthey (Batala), Gurbeer Singh Kohli (Ludhiana), Ravinder Kumar Bansal (SBS Nagar), General Manager PUNSUP Ajitpal Singh Saini, Deputy Chief Engineer PSPCL Harminder Singh, Sub-Registrar Jagtar Singh, Tehsildar Ram Lal, SMO Dr Sumit Singh, DSP Gursher Singh, and Dr Amit Singla of Civil Hospital Sunam, among others.