North News
Chandigarh, August 24
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) arrested two auditors, Jagjit Singh and Amit, from the Local Audit Office in Ferozepur on Saturday after they were caught accepting a bribe of Rs 1,30,000. The arrests followed a complaint lodged by Naib Subedar Satya Prakash, an Indian Army officer serving with the 17th Rajput Regiment in Ferozepur Cantonment.
According to a VB spokesperson, the auditors were tasked with auditing the financial records of Prakash’s unit for the fiscal year 2023-2024. They allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 1,50,000 to clear audit objections from the previous year and to approve the current year’s audit. Acting on the complaint, VB officials set up a trap and caught the auditors red-handed while accepting the bribe.
The complainant further alleged that Auditor Jagjit Singh reiterated the demand to pay the bribe money in the presence of his colleague, Dharmraj, at the Local Audit Office, and he recorded the conversation on his mobile phone. The spokesperson further added that following this complaint, a team from the VB, Ferozepur range, laid a trap and apprehended both auditors while they were accepting the bribe of Rs 1,30,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.
In this regard a case has been registered against both the accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act at the VB Police Station, Ferozepur Range. He added that the role of other officers and employees would also be examined during the ongoing investigation.
