A day after being arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on bribery charges, Punjab Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar has denied all allegations against him, calling them “totally false.”
“Totally wrong allegations have been levelled against me,” Bhullar told reporters on Friday. When asked if he was being framed, he replied, “Absolutely.”
CBI Case Against DIG Bhullar
The 2009-batch IPS officer was arrested on Thursday for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of ₹8 lakh, along with monthly illegal payments, through his middleman Krishna, to “settle” a 2023 FIR registered against scrap dealer Akash Batta from Mandi Gobindgarh.
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According to the CBI’s First Information Report (FIR), Bhullar threatened to falsely implicate the complainant if payments were not made. Krishna, acting on Bhullar’s behalf, repeatedly demanded the bribe. During one recorded call, Krishna allegedly said, “The August payment was not paid, the September payment was not paid.”
After verifying the complaint, the CBI laid a trap in Chandigarh’s Sector 21, where Krishna was caught red-handed accepting ₹8 lakh. A controlled phone call followed, during which Bhullar allegedly acknowledged the payment and summoned both men to his Mohali office, where he was subsequently arrested.
Raids and Recoveries
Searches conducted at Bhullar’s residences in Ropar, Mohali, and Chandigarh led to major recoveries, including:
- ₹5 crore in cash (counting ongoing)
- 1.5 kg of gold and jewellery
- Property documents across Punjab
- Luxury cars — Mercedes and Audi
- 22 designer wristwatches
- Firearms, ammunition, and 40 litres of imported liquor
From Krishna’s home, officials recovered ₹21 lakh in cash. Both accused were presented in court on Friday.
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About DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar
Bhullar, son of former Punjab DGP M.S. Bhullar, has served in multiple key positions, including DIG of Patiala Range, Joint Director of the Vigilance Bureau, and SSP in Mohali, Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Khanna, Hoshiarpur, and Gurdaspur.
He was leading the Ropar Range since November 2024, covering Mohali, Rupnagar, and Fatehgarh Sahib. Bhullar also headed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the 2021 drug case against SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia and was actively involved in the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ anti-drug campaign.
