Mohali, April 23 -- A local court on Tuesday awarded a rigorous five-year jail term to a head constable with Mohali police for accepting Rs.10,000 as graft for releasing two sand trucks seized by him at a checkpoint in Gharuan in 2017.

The court of special vigilance judge, Ajit Atri, also imposed a fine of Rs.20,000 on the convict, Rishpal Singh.

The complaint was filed with the Mohali unit of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau by road and building contractor Jarnail Singh, a resident of Sector 71, on December 9, 2017. He had said his two trucks, bringing sand from Machhiwara to Mohali, were stopped by the Gharuan police at a checkpoint where the bribe was sought. The complainant paid Rs.7,000 and promised to pay Rs.3,000 the next day.

The co...