Overview

• CBI detained the Ropar Range DIG at his Mohali office after a complaint by scrap dealer Akash Batta, with reports citing a trap linked to an immediate payment variously described as ₹5 lakh or ₹8 lakh.
• The FIR alleges demands to “settle” a 2023 FIR and recurring monthly “sewa‑paani” payments, invoking Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 7 and 7A of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
• Investigators also arrested an alleged middleman and documented WhatsApp calls in which Bhullar purportedly directed collection of ₹8 lakh from the complainant.
• CBI searches at multiple locations linked to the officer yielded roughly ₹5 crore in cash, about 1.5 kg of jewellery, property papers, keys to a Mercedes and an Audi, 22 luxury watches, firearms and imported liquor, plus ₹21 lakh from the associate.
• The agency kept Punjab Police personnel off the raiding team, questioned the officer in Panchkula, and plans to produce both accused before a designated court, as asset verification continues.