Punjab: Vigilance Bureau arrests 1,111 accused in 1,055 corruption cases since March 2022
Chandigarh, June 28
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has arrested 1,111 accused in 1,055 corruption cases registered between March 16, 2022 and May 31, 2026, as part of the state government's zero-tolerance policy against corruption.
According to an official release, a total of 296 vigilance enquiries were also registered during the period, while competent courts convicted 236 accused in 149 corruption cases.
Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau said that 610 accused were arrested in 503 trap cases during the aforementioned period.
Similarly, 485 accused were arrested in 521 criminal cases, and 16 persons were arrested in 31 disproportionate assets cases during the aforesaid period.
He further informed that 116 vigilance enquiries were registered in connection with disproportionate assets, and 180 other vigilance enquiries were also registered during the above-mentioned period.
Earlier, the Police's State Cyber Crime Division had intensified its crackdown on cybercriminals by freezing thousands of bank accounts linked to fraudulent transactions and facilitating the return of defrauded money to victims.
Through timely intervention, advanced technological capabilities and meticulous financial tracking, the division has significantly strengthened the state's response against organised cybercrime while improving the recovery of stolen funds.
Timely freezing of suspect bank accounts has prevented cyber fraud gangs from siphoning off funds and substantially enhanced the likelihood of recovering money lost by victims.
Over the last year, the Punjab Police has frozen 63,749 bank accounts linked to cyber fraud involving transactions worth approximately Rs 540.34 crore. Since 2024, around Rs 64 crore has been recovered and refunded to victims, including approximately Rs 38.42 crore recovered since January 1, 2025. During the same period, 62,253 cybercrime cases have been registered across the state.
During the last financial year, the percentage of fraud proceeds successfully frozen increased from 16.13 per cent to 23.43 per cent, reflecting a significant improvement in financial recovery.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good stats but let's see how many actually get convicted. 236 convictions in 1,055 cases is just 22%. The system needs to improve conviction rates too. Cybercrime recovery is promising though - Rs 64 crore returned to victims is no small feat. 👏
Interesting numbers. 63,749 bank accounts frozen for cyber fraud - that's a massive operation. But I wonder how much of that frozen money actually reaches the victims. The 23.43% recovery rate shows improvement but still leaves room for progress.
As a Punjabi, I'm happy to see the state government taking corruption seriously. But arresting is one thing, what about prevention? We need better transparency in government departments so corruption doesn't happen in first place. Still, good start! 🙏
Impressive numbers on paper, but corruption in Punjab is deep-rooted. The fact that 521 criminal cases were needed shows how bad it is. The cybercrime stats are scary - 62,253 cases in just over a year! People need to be more careful online.
Zero tolerance policy sounds good, but I hope the Vigilance Bureau is also going after the big fish, not just small-time babus. Disproportionate assets cases are only 31 - that seems low for a state with notorious land grab issues. Need more thorough investigations.
K We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.