CBI Arrests Punjab DIG in Bribery Trap Amid AAP Corruption Cases

CBI Arrests Punjab DIG in Bribery Trap Amid AAP Corruption Cases

This high-profile arrest takes place amid broader allegations of corruption directed at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab Government under Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann, which has been characterized as “perhaps the most corrupt in India”.

By RMN News Service
New Delhi | October 17, 2025 

Mohali/Chandigarh | October 17, 2025 — The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested a senior Punjab Police official, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar, along with an individual identified as a middleman, in a significant corruption case. The arrest took place on Thursday, October 16, 2025.

DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar, who serves as the Deputy Inspector General of Police for the Ropar range, was apprehended in a trap operation. The official and the private individual were caught demanding and accepting a payment at the DIG’s office in Sector 21, Chandigarh.

Details of the Operation and Demand

The corruption charges stem from a complaint filed by Akash Batta of Mandi Gobindgarh. The complaint alleged that the DIG, operating through the arrested middleman named Kirshanu, demanded bribes and monthly payments known as ‘sewa-paani’. The scrap dealer filing the complaint was allegedly threatened with false criminal cases if the payments were not made.

Although initial reports stated Bhullar was caught red-handed accepting Rs 5 lakh, the bribe amount was cited as ₹8 lakh in a CBI press release. A recorded WhatsApp call on October 11, 2025, reportedly confirmed that Bhullar had instructed Kirshanu to collect this ₹8 lakh. The complainant was summoned to Bhullar’s Mohali office to deliver the first installment when the CBI team intervened. The CBI operation was reportedly conducted without the involvement of Punjab police personnel to ensure its independence.

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Massive Assets Recovered

Following the arrests, the CBI conducted searches at multiple locations connected to Bhullar in Punjab and Chandigarh. These searches resulted in the recovery of substantial assets, with authorities seizing:

• Cash of approximately ₹5 crore (and counting).
• Jewellery weighing about 1.5 kg of gold.
• Keys to two luxury cars: a Mercedes and an Audi.
• 22 luxury watches.
• Documents pertaining to over 15 immovable properties and assets in Punjab.
• 40 litres of imported liquor bottles.
• Various firearms, including a pistol, a revolver, a double-barrel gun, and an airgun, along with ammunition.

Additionally, the arrested middleman was found to be in possession of ₹21 lakh in cash.

Bhullar is identified as an Indian Police Service officer, belonging to either the 2007-batch or the 2009 batch. He had previously served as Patiala Range DIG and was known for leading the ‘Yudh Nasheyan Virudh’ anti-drug campaign. Both accused were scheduled to be produced before the designated court in Panchkula on October 17, 2025.

Arrest Highlights Broader Corruption Concerns

This high-profile arrest takes place amid broader allegations of corruption directed at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab Government under Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann, which has been characterized as “perhaps the most corrupt in India”.

Several prominent AAP leaders, including former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, and former ministers Satyendar Jain and Saurabh Bhardwaj, are currently under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and CBI for alleged financial crimes.

These alleged crimes involve multi-crore rupees scams, including the liquor scam, hospital construction scam, and classroom construction scam. Furthermore, people in Punjab reportedly feel that if the AAP is re-elected in the 2027 Assembly election, its politicians might “completely loot the state like thieves and dacoits”.

Meanwhile, a CBI court in Chandigarh on Friday (October 17) sent Bhullar to a 14-day judicial custody following his arrest in the corruption case.