A Central Bureau of Investigation team arrested Harcharan Singh Bhullar, Deputy Inspector General of Punjab’s Ropar Range, from his Mohali office on Thursday over allegations of bribery. The agency claims a middleman was used to demand an initial payment of ₹8 lakh and recurring “sewa-paani” from a scrap dealer, then carried out raids that unearthed staggering assets.
The arrest stems from a complaint by Akash Batta, a businessman from Fatehgarh Sahib, who alleged Bhullar threatened a 2023 FIR registered in Sirhind and demanded payoffs to stall police action. The FIR filed at the behest of the complainant invoked Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Section 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. CBI laid a trap in Chandigarh’s Sector 21, catching the middleman accepting the sum and intercepting a WhatsApp call in which Bhullar is heard instructing, “8 fadne ne 8 … Jinna denda nal nal fadi chal, ohnu kehde 8 kar de pura.” Analysts say the call recording is central to the case.
According to CBI disclosures, simultaneous raids were conducted at Bhullar’s office, his Sector 40 residence in Chandigarh, and a farmhouse in Khanna. Investigators recovered approximately ₹5 crore in cash, 1.5 kg in gold jewellery, documents of multiple immovable properties, keys to a Mercedes and an Audi, 22 luxury watches, 40 litres of imported liquor, firearms including a double-barrelled gun, pistol, revolver, and an airgun, along with ammunition. From the middleman, named Kirshanu, an additional ₹21 lakh was seized.
Bhullar, a 2009-batch IPS officer who assumed charge as Ropar Range DIG in November 2024, is a son of former Punjab DGP Mehal Singh Bhullar. Before this posting, he served as DIG of Patiala Range and held various positions including joint director of the vigilance bureau and senior superintendent of police in several districts. He also led a Special Investigation Team that questioned Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia in the drugs case.
Punjab’s police leadership has remained tightlipped over the matter, though administrative sources confirm that officers were prohibited from participating in the raids to avoid conflicts of interest. Bhullar was briefly taken to Panchkula in Haryana for questioning before being returned to Mohali, and both he and Kirshanu are to face a special CBI court on Friday. Legal teams for Bhullar have denied wrongdoing and indicated they plan to challenge remand orders.
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