The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Wednesday arrested an inspector posted at the Ludhiana municipal corporation’s Zone-B office after he was caught red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹25,000 to facilitate the transfer of ancestral property in the names of a complainant and his brothers.

The accused, identified as inspector Shubham, was apprehended following a complaint lodged by a resident of Ajit Nagar, who accused the civic official of demanding illegal gratification to process the property transfer.

According to a VB spokesperson, the complainant had submitted the requisite documents at the MC’s Zone-B office to have his ancestral property transferred in his and his brothers’ names following their father’s death. The application was subsequently assigned to Shubham, who allegedly demanded ₹25,000 in exchange for facilitating the transfer.

Unwilling to accede to the demand, the complainant approached the VB’s Ludhiana range office and lodged a formal complaint against the inspector.

Acting on the complaint, a Vigilance Bureau team laid a trap and apprehended Shubham while he was accepting the bribe from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses, the spokesperson said.

A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at the VB police station in Ludhiana. Further investigation is underway.