CHANDIGARH — In a major crackdown on institutional corruption, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of the Chandigarh Police for allegedly demanding and accepting a significant bribe. The operation, executed through a carefully planned trap, reinforces the federal probe agency's ongoing campaign against public servants engaging in extortion and malfeasance.

The Genesis of the Corruption Complaint

The arrest followed a formal complaint filed by a local vehicle owner. According to verified CBI sources, the complainant’s vehicle had recently been confiscated by the police following a road accident. The accused officer, identified as ASI Hitesh Kumar, who was posted at the Sector 39 Police Station in Chandigarh, allegedly sought to exploit the situation for personal financial gain.

ASI Kumar approached the vehicle owner and explicitly demanded an illegal gratification of ₹50,000. In exchange for this sum, the officer promised two key favors:

• The immediate release of the impounded vehicle from police custody.

• A guarantee that the police would not register a formal criminal case against the driver in connection with the road accident.

Unwilling to yield to the extortionist demands, the complainant approached the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the CBI in Chandigarh and provided a detailed statement regarding the bribe demand.

CBI Lays a Precise Trap

Upon receiving the complaint, federal investigators quickly verified the allegations. Under undercover conditions, the CBI instructed the complainant to negotiate the terms with the officer to establish a clear paper and audio trail. During these recorded negotiations, ASI Kumar eventually agreed to lower his initial demand and settled on accepting a bribe amount of ₹40,000.

With the transaction details finalized, the CBI operational team laid a strategic trap on June 6. The complainant was provided with chemically treated currency notes and instructed to meet the officer at the designated spot.

As soon as ASI Hitesh Kumar accepted the ₹40,000 in cash from the complainant, embedded CBI sleuths moved in swiftly. The team caught the officer red-handed with the bribe money in his possession. Subsequent chemical tests performed on the officer's hands confirmed the handling of the marked bait money, providing the agency with irrefutable forensic evidence.

Follow-Up Raids and Legal Proceedings

Following the successful trap operation, the CBI formally placed the ASI under arrest under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act. To build a comprehensive legal case and investigate whether the officer possessed assets disproportionate to his known legal sources of income, regular procedures were initiated.

CBI search teams immediately launched simultaneous raids at the residential and official premises of the arrested ASI in the Chandigarh region. Investigators have seized several documents, digital logs, and financial records from his properties, which are currently undergoing detailed forensic evaluation to map out any further institutional links or unaccounted wealth.

The accused officer is scheduled to be produced before the Special CBI Court in Chandigarh, where the federal agency will seek police remand to conduct deeper custodial interrogation. Top officials within the Chandigarh Administration have reiterated a zero-tolerance policy toward corruption, noting that internal disciplinary proceedings, including immediate suspension, are being processed parallel to the criminal investigation.