The Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Monday carried out surprise inspections at Regional Transport Authority (RTA) offices and driving test centres across the state, resulting in the arrest of 24 individuals allegedly involved in bribery and corrupt practices, according to officials.
These raids were launched in response to multiple complaints received through the Chief Minister's anti-corruption action helpline. A total of 16 FIRs have been registered following the operation, during which authorities seized Rs 40,900 from middlemen accused of extracting money from citizens in exchange for driving licences, test clearances, and other transport-related services.
According to an official spokesperson, the operation specifically targeted RTA officials and private agents who were acting as intermediaries, demanding illegal payments to speed up processes or influence driving test outcomes.
The spokesperson stated that this initiative was part of the Punjab government's ongoing campaign to root out corruption from public service departments.
Among those arrested was Sukhwinder Singh, a private agent from Mohali, who was caught red-handed accepting Rs 2,500 as part of a Rs 5,000 bribe to secure a driving licence and ensure the test was cleared. In a similar case in Fatehgarh Sahib, an agent named Paramjit Singh was arrested while accepting Rs 5,000 for the same purpose.
In Ludhiana, three individuals—Pankaj Arora alias Sunny, Deepak Kumar, and Manish Kumar—were held for demanding bribes ranging from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,500.
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Further arrests were made in other districts, with Taisiff Ahmed Ansari and Honey Arora detained for charging Rs 7,000 and Rs 5,500 respectively to facilitate the issuance of driving licences. In Jalandhar, two agents, Mohit Kumar and Vijay Kumar, were caught red-handed while accepting Rs 2,000 to fast-track a driving test appointment.
Another arrest took place in Hoshiarpur, where Ashok Kumar was detained for taking Rs 5,000 to clear a test without a proper trial.
A major cash seizure occurred in Kapurthala, where agent Sher Amrik Singh was arrested with Rs 12,000, revealing a suspected nexus with RTA officials. Similar anti-corruption actions were carried out in other districts including SBS Nagar, Sangrur, Tarn Taran, and Gurdaspur as part of the state-wide crackdown.
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