Punjab Police, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar, has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a bribery case after a WhatsApp call recording exposed him for asking ₹8 lakh from a scrap dealer.
The incident came to light when scrap dealer Akash Bhatta lodged a complaint stating Bhullar had asked for ₹8 lakh to "settle" a 2023 FIR filed against him. Bhullar, whose father is ex-Punjab DGP Mehal Singh Bhullar, reportedly took the help of a middleman named 'Kirshanu' to extort money and seek regular "sewa-paani" for ensuring police protection.
The investigation took a dramatic turn as the CBI recovered ₹5 crore in cash, 1.5 kg of gold, 22 designer watches, luxury cars, reportedly Audi and Mercedes, bottles of imported liquor, and several guns from Bhullar's office and house in Chandigarh.
The recorded WhatsApp call
The CBI probe, headed by Sub-inspector Sachin Singh of the Anti-Corruption Branch, procured a recording of a WhatsApp call that pinned Bhullar's role. In the incriminating recording, Bhullar is distinctly heard telling his aide, "8 fadne ne 8 (Collect ₹8 lakh from him)", followed by, "J Jinna denda nal nal fadi chal, ohnu kehde 8 kar de pura (Collect whatever he gives and ask him to give ₹8 lakh in total).”
The inquiry also exposed that Bhullar was extorting monthly bribes, as indicated in another dialogue where he mentioned, "Edda kehna pata ki hai... kehnda hai August da ni aaya, September da ni aaya (You know what to say. Ask him that he didn't give the bribe for August and September).”
CBI checked the phone number used during the conversation and found that it was listed in Bhullar's name, casting little shadow of a doubt over his involvement in the extortion racket.
The trap and arrest
After confirmation, CBI carried out a trap operation in Chandigarh's Sector 21, where a man was caught red-handed receiving ₹8 lakh on Bhullar's behalf. "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. Subsequently, the CBI team apprehended the public servant from his office and arrested the other accused in Chandigarh", a statement from the central agency stated, Hindustan Times reported. CBI then arrested Bhullar from his Mohali office and arrested the middleman from Sector 9D market.
Both Bhullar and Kirshanu have been booked in a case under Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
A history of controversies
2007-batch IPS officer, Bhullar served as DIG at Patiala Range, Joint Director of Vigilance Bureau, and SSP in various Punjab districts before this posting. He had also courted controversy earlier as head of the SIT that interrogated SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a case of drug smuggling and was subsequently replaced under charges of mismanagement.
The CBI is currently probing Bhullar's earlier activities and possible connections with other corruption cases. The revelations have created shockwaves in Punjab's police hierarchy, questioning the accountability at the top.
