Chandigarh:
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Thursday arrested Niranjan Singh, a resident of village Gehri, Tarntaran district, who had been evading his arrest for five years in connection with a criminal case. He was accused of charging Rs. 10,000 per birth certificate.
An official spokesperson of VB disclosed that a criminal case was registered against the said accused on 27-05-2017 under sections 420, 467, 468, 120-B of IPC, and sections 13(1) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act at VB police station, Amritsar range. The accused was declared a proclaimed offender by the court on 06-06-2018 and has been evading arrest since then.
Providing further details, the spokesperson revealed that the said accused, in collusion with officials from the Civil Surgeon Tarntaran office, used to procure forged birth certificates and sold them for Rs. 10,000 each to the beneficiaries. He amassed a substantial amount by issuing over 20 such fraudulent certificates.
The spokesperson added that the court has remanded the accused to one day of police custody, and investigations into the case are under progress.