The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) detained two Punjab Police officers for allegedly scamming 102 candidates of ₹26 lakh by offering them grade 4 police posts.
The suspects, Tarlochan Pal, a cleaner in the 3rd IRB, and Surinderpal, a barber at the Punjab Police Academy in Phillaur, were involved in a fraudulent recruitment scheme. They deceived individuals into believing that 560 vacancies were available in the Punjab Police, demanding ₹25,000 from each job seeker.
Tarlochan Pal, who resides in Mohalla Begampur in Adampur, Jalandhar district, and Surinderpal, from Sikri village, Nilokheri, Karnal district of Haryana, used their positions to gain the trust of job seekers and promised them secure employment.
Following a complaint lodged by Surinder Singh of Nanglan village in the Garhshankar tehsil, Hoshiarpur, a complaint was lodged on the chief minister’s Anti-Corruption Action Line portal which led to the arrests. One of the official VB spokespersons informed that these persons, who are accused of this crime, appeared before the court situated at Jalandhar this Wednesday, where they were remanded into the custody of the police for two days so that they could be interrogated further. Authorities are trying to learn more about what other things these people may have done that would also warrant criminal charges while pointing out victims who have not yet come forward.
Investigations revealed that Tarlochan Pal received ₹18 lakh, deposited into various bank accounts, with ₹5.45 lakh transferred to Surinderpal’s account. Additionally, Surinderpal separately received ₹7.93 lakh in his account. A case has been registered against them under Sections 420 and 120-B of the IPC and Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act at the VB police station, Jalandhar range.
During interrogation, Surinderpal confessed to giving approximately ₹9 lakh to two employees at the Punjab Police headquarters in Chandigarh. These employees reportedly returned some of the money after failing to secure the jobs for the jobseekers, but a substantial amount remains unreturned. The spokesperson mentioned that statements from the victims are being recorded, and more individuals are expected to come forward with information about the scam.
Speaking on this issue, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann called upon the general public not to trust conmen. He emphasized that since 2021 the state government has been recruiting people in a transparent way and that more than 43,000 jobs have been given to only qualified candidates. To stop exploiting job seekers, Mann promised that his government would be very firm against any vice of cheating.
Employment fraud targeting vulnerable individuals in dire need of job opportunities continues to be a recurring issue in this particular instance. With regard to these crimes, the Punjab government is vigilant to renew trust in the selection criteria used for recruitment drive in the state with merit as a sole determinant for jobs; thus making it an urgent need to address this matter.
