Punjab DIG Bhullar Suspended After CBI Arrest For Taking Bribe

Last Updated:October 19, 2025, 00:38 IST

DIG Bhullar allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 8 lakh in addition to monthly illegal gratification for settling a 2023 FIR registered against a scrap dealer.

Punjab DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar was arrested on October 16

Punjab Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar, who was arrested on Thursday by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for allegedly demanding and accepting bribes, has been suspended.

The 2009-batch IPS officer was suspended with effect from Thursday. On Friday, he issued a statement denying the allegations.

On being asked if he’s being framed, he said, “Absolutely."

He allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 8 lakh in addition to monthly illegal gratification through his middleman Krishanu for “settling" a 2023 FIR registered against a scrap dealer from Mandi Gobindgarh named Akash Batta.

The case against Bhullar was registered after a written complaint filed by scrap dealer Akash Batta from Fatehgarh Sahib. He alleged that DIG Bhullar had threatened to frame him in a false criminal case unless he paid Rs 8 lakh as an initial bribe and agreed to make monthly payments after that.

According to the CBI’s First Information Report (FIR), Bhullar had instructed that payments be made through his associate Krishna, who repeatedly pressured the complainant. In one intercepted conversation, Krishna allegedly said, “The August payment was not paid, the September payment was not paid."

After verifying the complaint, the CBI laid a trap in Chandigarh’s Sector 21, where Krishna was caught red-handed accepting Rs 8 lakh from the complainant. Immediately after the transaction, a controlled phone call was arranged, during which Bhullar allegedly acknowledged the payment and asked both men to visit his office. The CBI then moved in and arrested the DIG from his Mohali office.

“During the trap proceedings, a controlled call was made to the public servant, during which he acknowledged the payment and directed the middleman and complainant to come to his office," an agency spokesperson said in a statement.

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