Official in Abohar, Punjab, reportedly caught accepting a bribe on the spot.
In an unexpected turn of events, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) arrested Fire Officer Varinder Kathuria, who is posted at Abohar in Fazilka District, on August 12, 2025. The arrest was made due to allegations of demanding a bribe from Rishav Kalia, a resident of Abohar, who sells and refills fire extinguishers.
According to the complaint, Kathuria demanded a bribe of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 as a commission for bill clearance. However, Kalia refused to pay the bribe and instead recorded his conversation with Kathuria before reporting it to the VB Fazilka unit. Subsequently, Kathuria was caught red-handed accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 in the presence of a government witness.
The investigation, currently ongoing by the Vigilance Bureau, Range Ferozpur, has revealed that Kathuria allegedly demanded the bribe from Kalia at his house in Abohar. A case has been registered against Kathuria under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988, amended in 2018.
The accused, Varinder Kathuria, is to be produced before the competent court on the day after his arrest. The bribe amount accepted by Kathuria was reportedly Rs 20,000, and the complainant, Rishav Kalia, also recorded his conversation with Kathuria before reporting the matter to the VB unit in Fazilka.
This case involves a bribery demand and acceptance linked to bill clearance by the fire officer, caught through official sting action initiated by the complainant and VB. Further investigative updates and court hearings will clarify the prosecution outcomes.
- The arrest of Fire Officer Varinder Kathuria, who was caught accepting a bribe, has sparked discussions about corruption in the general-news sector, potentially influencing political debates as well as crime-and-justice topics.
- The Punjab Vigilance Bureau's investigation into Fire Officer Varinder Kathuria's alleged bribery demand and acceptance has been covered extensively in multiple news outlets, categorized under crime-and-justice, politics, and general-news sections.
