- By Shubham Bajpai
- Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:53 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar for demanding a bribe of Rs 8 lakh and monthly payments in exchange for relief from a scrap dealer in a two-year-old case in Punjab.
Harcharan Singh, son of former DGP Mahal Singh Bhullar, has been posted as the DIG of the Ropar Range. Apart from DIG Harcharan, the CBI has also arrested his middleman, Kirshnu.
According to the CBI, the DIG was demanding bribes from Akash Batta, a resident of Mandi Gobindgarh in Fatehgarh Sahib district, by threatening him. The CBI team also seized cash worth more than Rs 5 crore, one and a half kilograms of gold jewellery, several property documents, and expensive watches from his house in Sector 40, Chandigarh.
The CBI has obtained recordings of the DIG referring to bribes as 'seva-pani'. Based on this, Bhullar was summoned to the CBI office for questioning on Thursday afternoon and was arrested there.
What's the case?
According to reports, a criminal case was filed against Akash Batta at the Sirhind police station two years ago. The DIG was demanding a bribe of Rs. 8 lakh and monthly payments in exchange for relief in that case.
Fed up with this, Akash filed a complaint with the CBI on October 11. Upon receiving the complaint, the CBI launched an investigation and initially arrested the middleman and then DIG Bhullar. A case has been registered against both of them under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Both will be produced in a special CBI court on Friday.
In the purported audio recording, Bhullar said, "Whoever gives, go ahead." The CBI has obtained a recording of a WhatsApp call between middleman Kirshnu and DIG Bhullar. In it, DIG Bhullar can be heard telling the middleman to take whatever he is offering and tell him to pay the full amount.
According to the CBI, the demand for bribes is evident. The recordings also reveal a demand for a monthly payment. In one recording, middleman Kirshnu could be heard telling the complainant that he hadn't received any monthly payment in August and September.
How CBI planned arrest?
According to the rules, the CBI must inform the state home department before taking action in a state. It can only take action after receiving the department's approval.
The CBI suspected that the state government might not authorise action against the DIG and that information about the action might be leaked. Therefore, the DIG was summoned to the CBI office and arrested.
According to a report by Jagran.com, based on CBI sources, over Rs 5 crore in cash was recovered from Bhullar's house. This cash was stuffed into three bags and one briefcase. The team had to order a money counting machine to count it.
Bhullar's family background
DIG Harcharan's father, former DGP Mahal Singh Bhullar, is known for his anti-terrorism operations in Punjab during the 1980s and 1990s.
Harcharan Singh Bhullar's younger brother, Kuldeep Singh Bhullar, is a former Congress MLA. Bhullar was also involved in the investigation of the drug trafficking case against Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia. He served as DIG of the Patiala Range at the time.