The Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV&ACB) has completed 100 trap cases against allegedly corrupt government officials in the shortest time in the past six years, averaging nearly one raid every two days.
Between January 1 and July 14 (195 days), the Bureau registered 101 trap cases involving five gazetted officers, 83 non-gazetted officials and 18 private individuals. Excluding Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, the agency carried out a trap in less than every 36 working hours.
The Bureau reached the 100-trap mark in 240 days in 2025, 330 days in 2024, 199 days in 2023 and 235 days in 2022. During the Covid-affected year of 2021, only 51 trap cases were registered.
Prominent catches
Among the major arrests this year was that of Guhla (Kaithal) Block Development and Panchayat Officer Jagjeet Singh, who was allegedly caught accepting Rs 5 lakh in April to save certain houses from demolition.
In June, Deputy Civil Surgeon Dr Manpreet of Mandi Kheda Hospital, Nuh, was arrested while allegedly accepting Rs 50,000 as part of an alleged Rs 5 lakh bribe for de-sealing a private hospital. In February, Manoj Kumar, chief chemical analyst of Haryana Sugar Mill, Rohtak, was caught allegedly accepting Rs 2.5 lakh to clear a contractor’s bills.
The revenue department accounted for the highest number of officials caught during the past six months (25), followed by the police (21), power utilities (10), Municipal Corporation (6) and Health Department (4).
The bureau also investigated the Rs 657-crore IDFC First Bank-AU Small Finance Bank scam and the Rs 150-crore Kotak Mahindra Bank scam. In the former, it uncovered the alleged involvement of eight Haryana IAS officers before the case was transferred to the CBI, while it has filed a chargesheet in the Kotak Mahindra Bank case.
New initiatives
SV&ACB chief and DGP Dr Arshinder Singh Chawla said the Bureau had introduced several measures to strengthen its anti-corruption campaign.
“To encourage people to come forward against corruption, we have begun awarding cash prizes to complainants. In case of ensuring convictions of accused officials, the complainants who stood by their complaints will be awarded too,” he said.
The Bureau has also started using spy cameras during trap operations. “Recently, we have observed in a case that the accused is not saying anything but only directing the complainant silently where to place the cash. Now, we have started using spy cameras,” the DGP said.
He said a mobile application would soon be launched to help complainants directly reach vigilance officers through location mapping.
Dr Chawla also announced a revolving fund under which complainants will initially use their own money during trap operations but will be reimbursed within 15 days after submitting an affidavit to an SP-rank officer. “They don’t have to go to courts like earlier,” he said.
“The CM has given clear instructions that irrespective of the rank of a corrupt officer, the action must be taken,” the DGP added.