3 min readAmritsarMay 16, 2026 02:02 PM IST
First published on: May 16, 2026 at 02:02 PM IST
Gurdaspur Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Anupreet Kaur Randhawa was arrested on Saturday in a Rs 1.63 crore embezzlement case linked to land acquisition for the Rajasthan-Jammu Kashmir National Highway in 2018-2019.
The Tarn Taran police arrested Randhawa, a Punjab Civil Services officer, from her official residence in Gurdaspur at 7 am, sources said. Alongside her role as SDM, she also held the additional charge of the municipal council in Gurdaspur.
When the alleged embezzlement took place, Randhawa was posted in Patti, Tarn Taran. She is accused of illegally extending benefits to individuals during the government’s land acquisition process for the construction of the national highway.
“The investigation in this case was going on. The case is also being looked at by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. We recently received the investigation report, and the arrest was made following that,” said Surendra Lamba, Senior Superintendent of Police, Tarn Taran.
On September 5, 2018, the former SDM of Patti, Navraj Singh Brar, had submitted a complaint regarding the alleged embezzlement to the then deputy commissioner Pradeep Sabharwal. It was alleged that between January 9, 2018, and February 11, 2019, a sum of Rs 1.63 crore released by the government in lieu of land acquisition was transferred into the accounts of five ineligible people.
Following the allegations, Randhawa was suspended and kept away from field duty for a long time.
What the FIR said
Based on Brar’s investigation, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered at City Patti police station on September 5, 2019, under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, on charges including cheating.
According to the FIR, revenue department records show that land belonging to the five ineligible individuals named in the case was never acquired for National Highway-54, nor was there any record of them in the revenue department. It was found that the amount was released after Randhawa signed the document.
Following this, a committee was formed under the chairmanship of the deputy commissioner. Based on the committee’s findings, the deputy commissioner forwarded his report to the state government. Subsequently, the then chief secretary Karan Avtar Singh ordered Randhawa’s suspension.
Linked to other controversies
Randhawa has a similar case pending against her in which she and her brother, Sandeep Singh, were booked on charges of embezzling Rs 88 lakh in 2021.
Her personal life has also been mired in controversy. She had filed a case against her husband, Bachitar Singh, a former hockey player, levelling allegations of domestic violence as well as death threats. Bachitar was also arrested in connection with that case.
Anupreet Kaur Randhawa has a similar case pending against her in which she and her brother were booked on charges of embezzling Rs 88 lakh in 2021. 
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