Punjab police officer caught accepting Rs. 1 lakh bribe

Chandigarh:  The Central Bureau of Investigation on Sunday evening stumbled upon over Rs.1 crore in cash, fixed deposit receipts worth several lakhs of rupees and scores of unused bullets from the bungalow of a serving woman Punjab Police officer and arrested her here, probe agency sources said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Raka Ghira was arrested on charges of corruption. She was posted in Mohali, adjoining Chandigarh.

The CBI search operations in the 1,000-square yard bungalow of the police officer in Sector 15 here continued till late in the evening.

The CBI team laid a trap when Ghira was accepting a bribe of Rs.100,000 from builder K.K. Malhotra. The sources said that the bribe amount was only the initial instalment sought by the DSP from the builder to give him concessions in cases against him.

Though the CBI officials arrested her after she was caught red-handed accepting the bribe, it was the recoveries during the search of her house that left them surprised.

The CBI team had to requisition currency note counting machines after cash worth over Rs.1 crore was recovered from her home.

The CBI also seized documents, including fixed deposit receipts running into several lakhs of rupees. Unused bullets and illegally stored liquor bottle boxes were also recovered from the house, the sources said.

Following the raid and the recovery from her residence, the DSP told the CBI officials that she was feeling uncomfortable and was taken to a government hospital here for a medical check-up.