Punjab Vigilance Bureau Nabs NULM Official for Taking Bribe from Widow Employee

Punjab Vigilance Bureau Nabs NULM Official for Taking Bribe from Widow Employee

Chandigarh, September 29:

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Friday nabbed Sonu Goyal, District Manager (Technical Expert) at the City Mission Management (CMM) Unit of the National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) under the Municipal Corporation in Bathinda, while accepting a bribe of Rs 7,000 from a widow employee.The arrest was made following a complaint lodged by Gurpreet Kaur, a resident of Parasram Nagar, Bathinda. Kaur alleged that she had been seeking employment after her husband’s passing and had initially approached Madam Gitanjali, the CMM of NULM in Bathinda, who directed her to meet Sonu Goyal. Goyal facilitated Kaur’s placement on a contract basis at the Municipal Corporation, Bathinda, under the Urban Learning Internship Program on a fixed monthly salary of Rs 12,000. However, Gitanjali demanded a monthly bribe of Rs 10,000 from Kaur, of which she took an initial bribe of Rs 3,000 and instructed Kaur to pay the remaining amount to Goyal. Goyal threatened to terminate Kaur’s employment if she failed to pay the bribe. A preliminary investigation into the complaint confirmed that Gitanjali had indeed accepted a bribe of Rs 3,000 from Kaur. Subsequently, the Vigilance Bureau Range in Bathinda laid a trap that resulted in the apprehension of Goyal, the District Manager of NULM in Municipal Corporation, Bathinda. He was caught red-handed while receiving the remaining Rs 7,000 bribe from Kaur. A case has been registered against Goyal and Gitanjali at the Police Station of the Vigilance Bureau, Bathinda Range, under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Further investigations into the matter are currently underway.

Punjab Vigilance Bureau, NULM, Sonu Goyal, Gitanjali, bribe, widow employee, corruption, arrest, investigation