Sangrur, June 13 -- The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has registered a case against five persons, including a former sarpanch of Balad Kalan village in Sangrur district, for allegedly embezzling nearly Rs.2 crore of panchayat funds between 2019 and 2023.

The accused have been identified as Gurdev Singh, former sarpanch of Balad Kalan village, village development officers (VDOs) Manjeet Singh and Kulwinder Singh, and panchayat secretaries Kuldeep Singh and Dharam Singh. The FIR has been registered under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code, along with relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

According to the FIR, an inquiry into allegations aga...