In a major crackdown on police corruption, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on October 16, arrested a senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar, in a high-profile bribery and disproportionate assets case.
Bhullar, a 2009-batch IPS officer currently posted as Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Ropar Range, was taken into custody along with an alleged middleman, identified as Krishna, after being caught demanding and receiving bribes to settle a criminal case. The search operation has since revealed a trail of massive unexplained wealth, including cash, luxury vehicles, gold jewellery, and high-end watches, pointing to possible large-scale corruption.
The Complaint
The case originated with a written complaint filed by a scrap dealer, Akash Batta from Fatehgarh Sahib, on October 11, 2025. Batta alleged that DIG Bhullar had threatened to falsely implicate him in a fabricated case linked to his business if he refused to pay bribes.
In his complaint, Batta detailed how the DIG, through his associate Krishna, demanded an initial bribe of INR 8 lakh, followed by recurring ‘settlement‘ payments every month. The CBI’s FIR recorded multiple instances of coercion and threats, with Krishna allegedly reminding the complainant of impending payments.
Following verification, the CBI laid a trap in Sector 21, Chandigarh, where Krishna was caught red-handed while accepting INR 8 lakh from the complainant. Immediately after the handover, officials arranged a controlled phone call between Batta and DIG Bhullar, during which the senior officer allegedly acknowledged the payment and instructed the two to meet him at his office.
Based on the recorded evidence, a CBI team swiftly moved in and arrested both Bhullar and Krishna from Mohali in the days after the complaint was raised.
Recoveries, and Findings
Subsequent searches at multiple locations in Ropar, Mohali, and Chandigarh uncovered massive unaccounted assets linked to the DIG. Among the seized items were:
- INR5 crores in cash (counting still underway)
- 1.5 kg of gold and jewellery
- Documents for multiple properties across Punjab
- Two luxury vehicles – a Mercedes and an Audi
- 22 high-end wristwatches
- Locker keys and 40 litres of imported liquor
- Firearms and ammunition, including a pistol, revolver, shotgun
The CBI also seized INR 21 lakh in cash from Krishna’s residence. Officials stated that both accused will be produced before a special CBI court on Friday, and further searches are underway to trace the full extent of the assets, including potential links to money laundering.
A Career Under the Scanner
DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar, a 2009-batch IPS officer, has served in several key positions, including DIG Patiala Range, Joint Director of the Vigilance Bureau, and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in multiple districts of Punjab – Mohali, Sangrur, Khanna, Hoshiarpur, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Gurdaspur.
Sources said Bhullar’s rapid accumulation of assets had already attracted internal scrutiny, but no formal case had been registered until the bribery complaint surfaced. The CBI is now expected to expand the probe to examine whether the officer’s wealth was amassed through systematic extortion and abuse of office.
The agency has confirmed that investigations are ongoing and that the case could potentially widen to include additional officials and associates. A decorated officer of a high calibre such as a DIG, getting embroiled in a controversy of bribery and corruption shows the Indian police department in poor light.
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