A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Friday further extended the judicial custody of suspended Punjab Police DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar by 14 days.
Bhullar was produced in court through video conferencing from Burail jail after his 14-day judicial custody ended on Friday. Since the CBI has not demanded Bhullar’s remand, the court sent him to further judicial custody till November 14.
The CBI had arrested middleman Krishanu Sharda and Bhullar on October 16 for graft. According to the FIR, Bhullar was allegedly seeking recurring monthly illegal payments from the complainant through Sharda. They were arrested on the complaint of a scrap dealer from Mandi Gobindgarh, Naresh Batta.
Batta alleged that Bhullar had demanded a bribe of Rs 8 lakh through Sharda to settle a 2023 case lodged against the scrap dealer at the Sirhind police station. Sharda was allegedly caught red-handed in Sector 21 while accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh, purportedly on behalf of DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar.
Earlier, the court had granted the CBI nine days’ remand of Sharda. The agency had sought his custody to trace the flow of the bribe money, identify possible beneficiaries, recover digital and documentary evidence, analyse digital data extracted from his devices and identify any other public servants or toher people involved in similar transactions. Further investigations are underway.
Also read: Ex-DIG Bhullar’s aide sent to nine-day CBI custody
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