In a massive crackdown on corruption, Punjab's Vigilance Bureau on Thursday arrested former Vigilance Bureau AIG Ashish Kapoor in a corruption case. As per the information received, Ashish Kapoor is facing the charges of taking a bribe of Rs 1 crore from Poonam Rajan's mother Prem Lata when she along with brother Kuldeep Singh and sister-in-law Preeti, were in police remand in case FIR No. 151/2018 u/s 420/120-B IPC at Zirakpur Police station. After Ashish Kapoor's arrest, two more officials have come under the scanner of the Vigilance Bureau namely - Pawan Kumar (now DSP) and ASI Harjinder Singh. Notably, Ashish Kapoor was with the Vigilance Bureau during Captain Amarinder's regime in Punjab. Not only this, Kapoor was also regarded as the close associate of one of the advisors of former Punjab CM Captain Amarinder. Ashish Kapoor's connection is also said to be one of the senior Police officials who is currently retired.
Why Ashish Kapoor has been arrested?
As per the initial information received, former VB AIG Ashish Kapoor while being posted as Superintendent, Central Jail, Amritsar in 2016, had got acquainted with Poonam Rajan who was under judicial remand in the Jail in a case. When Poonam Rajan, along with her mother Prem Lata, brother Kuldeep Singh and sister-in-law Preeti, was in police remand at Zirakpur Police Station, Ashish Kapoor went to the police station and fraudulently convinced Poonam Rajan's mother Prem Lata that he will arrange their bail and acquittal from the court.
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Ashish Kapoor, in connivance with Pawan Kumar, the then SHO, Zirakpur Police Station, and ASI Harjinder Singh, got Preeti, sister-in-law of Poonam Rajan declared innocent in the case. Furthermore, Kapoor obtained signatures of Prem Lata on different cheques amounting to Rs. 100,00,000/- and deposited them under the names of his known ones and got them encashed through ASI Harjinder Singh.
As a result, Vigilance stated that by doing so, Ashish Kapoor, Pawan Kumar, and Harjinder Singh have committed offences under Sections 7, 7-A Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 as amended by PC (Amendment) Act, 2018 and 420, 120-B IPC.