The North News
Chandigarh, October 18
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has recovered ₹7.5 crore in cash, gold jewellery and a collection of luxury watches during searches linked to a bribery investigation involving a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Punjab Police, Harcharan Singh Bhullar. The officer is accused of demanding and accepting bribes from a businessman to “settle” a police case and prevent further action.
Searches were conducted across multiple locations in Punjab and Chandigarh.
From a farmhouse in Samrala, investigators seized ₹5.7 lakh in cash, 108 bottles of liquor and 17 live cartridges. At the middleman’s residence, CBI teams recovered ₹21 lakh in cash and documents suspected to be incriminating.
Officials said the operation is part of a wider investigation aimed at uncovering the full extent of the alleged corruption network. Both the DIG and the alleged middleman were produced before the CBI court in Chandigarh, which remanded them to 14 days’ judicial custody.
Major recoveries from the DIG’s Chandigarh residence include:
- Cash worth approximately ₹7.5 crore
- Around 2.5 kg of gold jewellery
- 26 luxury watches, including brands like Rolex and Rado
- Documents relating to more than 50 properties allegedly held in family members’ and suspected benami names
- Locker keys and details of multiple bank accounts
- Four firearms and 100 live cartridges However, Bhullar yesterday denied the allegations.
