Rs5 crore cash, Mercedes, Audi found as CBI nabs Punjab DIG Bhullar for bribery

Dubai: In a dramatic turn of events, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested Punjab Police’s Deputy Inspector General (Ropar Range), Harcharan Singh Bhullar, from Mohali for allegedly accepting bribes. What began as a case involving a purported demand of ₹8 lakh has now escalated into a full-blown corruption scandal, with investigators recovering ₹5 crore in cash, luxury cars, jewellery, and high-end watches from the officer’s premises.

According to insiders, the CBI had meticulously staged a trap to catch Bhullar red-handed. The 2007-batch IPS officer is accused of accepting monthly bribes of Rs5 lakh from a businessman in return for disregarding illicit activities.

Sources within the agency say that Bhullar was receiving these payments in instalments from multiple individuals or companies. His arrest stemmed from a fresh bribery complaint lodged by a scrap-trading businessman, who alleged that Bhullar initially demanded Rs2 lakh per month but later raised it to Rs5 lakh. The complaint claimed that this demand was tied to allowing an illegal car business — involving chassis number changes and other malpractices — to continue unchecked.

The arrested officer will be presented in a CBI court in Chandigarh later today. Meanwhile, the agency has launched extensive raids across various properties linked to Bhullar, hoping to uncover additional evidence in the widening corruption probe.

Bhullar’s policing résumé includes stints as Senior Superintendent of Police in several districts. During his tenure overseeing the Ropar Range, authorities had previously detected multiple illegal automobile trade operations, particularly in the scrap-vehicle sector, where vehicles were allegedly altered before resale.

A case has now been registered against Bhullar under multiple sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the CBI’s search operations are ongoing as the investigation deepens.

With inputs from Agencies