Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrests IAS officer Sanjay Popli in graft case

After arresting a sitting Cabinet minister, a former minister and an MLA, besides over 40 officials on charges of corruption in the past few weeks, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on late Monday evening nabbed 2008-batch IAS officer Sanjay Popli, currently posted as director, pensions, in an alleged graft case.

He was presented before Mohali court where he was sent to police remand till June 25.

Popli was arrested for allegedly demanding a 1% commission as a bribe for clearance of tenders for laying off the sewerage pipeline at Nawanshahr. His accomplice, identified as Sandeep Wats, was also arrested from Jalandhar in Punjab.

According to official information, the complainant in the case, Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Karnal in Haryana, who is a state government contractor with a firm under the name of Dikhadala Cooperative Society Ltd, in his complaint alleged that Popli, during his posting as chief executive officer (CEO), Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, in January this year, in connivance with his assistant secretary Sandeep Wats, had demanded a bribe to clear the tender for Rs 7.30 crore.

Popli was transferred as director of pensions in May.

Sanjay, in his complaint, alleged that on January 12, 2022, he received a call on his WhatsApp from Wats where he demanded a bribe of Rs 7 lakh (1% of Rs 7 crores project) for tender allotment on behalf of Popli.

Though scared, he drew Rs 3.5 lakh from his PNB account and handed it over to Wats in Sector-20, Chandigarh, he alleged, adding that after receiving the amount, Wats called Sanjay Popli on his WhatsApp number regarding having received the payment and also took Rs 5,000 for himself.

However, he refused to give the remaining Rs 3.5 lakh being demanded by Wats repeatedly on behalf of Popli. The complainant also made a video recording of the entire conversation and submitted it to the Vigilance Bureau. According to reports, Sanjay used a pen camera to make a video of the entire conversation of Wats accepting Rs 3.5 lakh from him in a car in Sector 20, Chandigarh, in January.

The Vigilance Bureau spokesperson said that based on the statement of Sanjay Kumar, as well as the video evidence submitted by him, a case was registered against Popli and Wats for demanding a bribe and receiving Rs 3.5 lakh.

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) which came to power with a thumping majority about three months ago and launched an anti-corruption helpline number '9501200200', has arrested so far its own health minister Vijay Singla, former Congress minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, and former Congress MLA Joginder Pal, divisional forest officer, Guramanpreet Singh, besides over 40 others on corruption charges.