Punjab Vigilance arrested Mohammad Iqbal, Rent Collector (RC) of the Waqf Board posted in the Ferozepur Circle, red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹3 lakh. A case has been registered against the accused and an investigation has been initiated.
According to the FIR, Deepak Arora of Ludhiana had complained that the RC was repeatedly demanding money to settle his case related to Waqf property, forcing him to visit the office multiple times. The complaint also stated that some Waqf Board employees were coercing him into accepting bribes for file clearances, government approvals, and property-related matters.
When Vigilance received reliable confidential information about this racket, surveillance was conducted from November 30th to December 1st. During the surveillance, it became clear that the officer in question was demanding a bribe of ₹3 lakh from the complainant.
On the morning of December 1st, the Vigilance team took action as planned. The team arrested the complainant while he was handing over the money and RC Mohammad Iqbal while he was receiving the money. During the operation, ₹3 lakh in cash was recovered, all of whose note numbers are listed in the FIR. According to sources, Ferozepur Circle EO Karanbir Singh may also be questioned.
The investigation also revealed that the accused has previously been involved in several illegal cases. The complainant stated that the officer had clearly stated that no work would be done without money. During the operation, the Vigilance Department seized the accused’s conversations, call recordings, and other evidence and made them part of the case. The Vigilance Officer has directed the investigation team to closely examine the officials’ bank transactions, phone data, record files, and activities to uncover the entire structure of the bribery network.
Corruption will not be tolerated: Shahbaz Rana
Waqf Board member Shahbaz Rana strongly condemned the bribery and poor functioning of Waqf Board employees and stated that the Punjab government will not tolerate any corruption. Meanwhile, Waqf Board Chairman Haji Mohammad Owais was contacted in this matter, but his phone was switched off.
