8 fadne ne 8… Chal jinna denda nal nal fadi chal...: WhatsApp call recording that landed Punjab DIG Bhullar in trouble
The CBI has termed this audio clip as a key piece of digital evidence confirming the bribery allegations
PTC Web Desk: In a major anti-corruption operation, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday arrested Punjab Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar after uncovering what investigators describe as “damning digital evidence” linking him to a bribery racket. The case revolves around an FIR that includes the recording of a WhatsApp conversation allegedly capturing Bhullar instructing a middleman to collect bribe money.
The complaint, filed by Mandi Gobindgarh-based scrap dealer Naresh Batta, accuses the senior police officer of demanding hefty bribes to close a 2023 criminal case registered at the Sirhind police station and to protect him from further legal action. According to the FIR, Bhullar demanded a bribe of Rs 8 lakh through a middleman identified as Kirshanu, who has also been arrested by the CBI.
The FIR further alleges that this was not an isolated demand. The DIG had reportedly been collecting monthly payments, referred to by him as “sewa-paani”, from the complainant. Batta also alleged that Bhullar threatened to implicate him in fabricated cases if the payments stopped. Apart from the recurring payments, the total bribe amount demanded allegedly reached Rs 28 lakh.
The most incriminating piece of evidence cited in the FIR is a recorded WhatsApp call from October 11, reportedly made from Chandigarh’s Sector 9-D market. In this call, the DIG can purportedly be heard instructing the middleman: “8 fadne ne 8… Chal jinna denda nal nal fadi chal, ohnu kehde 8 kar de pura” (“Take Rs 8 lakh… or whatever he gives, but make sure the total comes to Rs 8 lakh.”)
The CBI has termed this audio clip as a key piece of digital evidence confirming the bribery allegations.
Following the arrests of Bhullar and Kirshanu, investigators conducted extensive searches at the DIG’s Sector 40 residence in Chandigarh, recovering an estimated Rs 5 crore in cash and 1.5 kg of gold. The quantity of seized currency was so large that the CBI reportedly had to bring in cash-counting machines four hours into the search.
Besides the money and gold, the raid unearthed a collection of luxury goods, including keys to BMW and Audi cars, 22 premium watches, documents of multiple properties (including a farmhouse in Samrala), 40 litres of imported liquor, and several firearms, such as a pistol, revolver, air gun, and a double-barrel gun.
An additional Rs 21 lakh was recovered from the possession of middleman Kirshanu. CBI sources have confirmed that search operations are ongoing and that further recoveries may follow.