Who is Harcharan Singh Bhullar? ₹5 cr cash, luxury cars - shocking recovery of Punjab cop caught taking bribe

Punjab Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar has become the center of a major controversy following his arrest this week by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on alleged bribery charges. While the CBI had initially arrested Bhullar on Thursday on charges of demanding an ₹8 lakh bribe from a scrap dealer, that was just the tip of the iceberg. What did the CBI find? While investigating Bhullar after his arrest, the CBI found loads of cash worth ₹5 crore, Mercedes and Audi cars, 22 luxury watches, jewelery weighing 1.5 kg as well as 40 liters of imported liquor bottles. In addition, several firearms were recovered, including one double-barreled rifle, one pistol, one revolver, one air rifle and live ammunition. The CBI also found documents pertaining to immovable assets and properties in Punjab. How was Bhullar caught by the CBI? This revelation was fueled by scrap dealer Akash Bhatta, who alleged that Bhullar had arranged a middleman named ‘Kirshanu’ to demand a huge bribe from him, in addition to repeated bribes to ensure that no police action was taken against his business. The recurring bribe, in the form of monthly installments, was reportedly taken for the ‘settlement’ of a 2023 FIR against the scrap dealer. On receiving a complaint from Bhatta, the CBI laid a trap and caught Kirshanu red-handed accepting the bribe on behalf of Bhullar. “During the entrapment proceedings, a controlled call was made to the civil servant, during which he admitted the payment and ordered the middleman and complainant to come to his office. Subsequently, the CBI team apprehended the civil servant from his office and arrested the other accused in Chandigarh,” the CBI said in a statement. A case against Bhullar and Kirshanu has been registered under sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Who is Harcharan Singh Bhullar? Bhullar, a 2007 batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, took over as the DIG of the Ropar range in Punjab in November 2024. Before his appointment as the DIG of the Ropar range, Bhullar was the DIG of the Patiala range. During his tenure, Bhullar played an active role in the anti-drug campaign of the Bhagwant Mann government, heading the Special Investigation Team (SIT) that interrogated Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia on charges of drug smuggling. He is the son of former Punjab DGP Mahal Singh Bhullar. Harcharan’s brother Kuldeep Singh Bhullar is a former Congress MLA.