SGPC official found dead under mysterious circumstance, probe on
Kartar Singh, in-charge of the Dharam Prachar Committee of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), was found dead under suspicious circumstances on Tuesday, two days after he was reported missing, police said.
According to police sources, Singh's Activa scooter was found abandoned near Sultanwind canal, following which a search operation for his body was launched in the canal.
SGPC officials lodged a written complaint at the B-Division police station on Tuesday, demanding immediate action against those responsible.
Police said that based on the complaint, they were investigating the case. 'After recovering the scooter from the canal bank, we have intensified the search in the area,' a police officer said.
However, police are yet to confirm whether it was a case of suicide or homicide.
The victim's kin had earlier expressed concern over Singh's disappearance and suspected 'foul play'. The victim's sister said Singh had been under stress for some time over some domestic issues and had allegedly been assaulted on the night he went missing. 'He had shared his worries with us before. That night too, he was beaten up,' she told the media.
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Indian Express
6 hours ago
- Indian Express
Laundering of Rs 540 crore of ‘drug money': Majithia's conduct was doubtful, says former ED deputy director
Former deputy director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Niranjan Singh, who probed the alleged money laundering charges against former Punjab minister Bikram Singh Majithia and also recorded his statement in connection with the Jagdish Bhola drug-racket case before being transferred, on Saturday said the conduct of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader in the entire case was 'doubtful.' This came a day after former Punjab director general of police (DGP) Siddharth Chattopadhyaya met a Vigilance Bureau team on Friday and shared his 'experience and knowledge' with its members regarding the drugs case registered against the former Akali minister in 2021. Singh, who appeared before the Vigilance Bureau in connection with their investigation into the alleged money laundering case against Majithia, said he had recorded his 'verbal statement' with the Bureau. 'Being with ED, I started the investigation in the case in 2013, and it went on till 2017. I was not able to complete that because I was transferred and promoted. I cannot reveal everything to the media as the investigation is pending. We gather a lot of evidence in financial investigations. I can just add that there is a doubtful conduct,' he said, referring to Majithia. The bureau on June 25 arrested Majithia in the case allegedly involving the laundering of Rs 540 crore of 'drug money'. The former Punjab minister was sent to a seven-day custody by a Mohali court on June 26. He also accused Majithia of getting him transferred out of Jalandhar when he was in the midst of the investigation. 'What the Punjab government is saying about linking drug money with disproportionate assets case, I have no link with that. There is no evidence of this link at this juncture. The investigation was delayed. The credit for the delayed investigation goes to Majithia. He got it done. I am saying this on record. I was transferred several times,' Singh said. 'The ED has a clear mandate: if an FIR is lodged under the NDPS Act case and recovery is made, then the agency enters into it and takes details about how crime money was generated, laundered and investigated. There were 102 accused, and they were investigated. I was not able to complete it. I had the support of the department for many years. When I summoned Majithia in 2014, I was transferred to Kolkata. The HC later cancelled this transfer. There was non-cooperation by the department after that, and some steps were taken by the authorities which do not go in favour of the investigation.' 'I told them that now I am retired. I have no documents. They can get copies of those documents from the ED. I will come and certify those,' Singh said. Recalling the case, he said, 'The initiation of investigation was done as a case of drugs. I investigated for the ED and submitted the status report to the high court. The HC examined the report and gave it to the STF. The STF examined it and gave its observation to the HC. The court then directed the Punjab government to take action, but the government did not take action.' He said the 2021 FIR was based on the status report filed by him and the STF. 'Now, the Vigilance is investigating the money laundering. Because the initiation of the investigation was done by me, they wanted me to come and help them. I can say the documents in both cases are the same. It is the same story and the same facts. The money laundering is linked. They have to do the investigation now,' Singh said. 'When we started the investigation, drug kingpin Jagdish Bhola's statement was recorded. Majithia's name is mentioned in his statement. Later, I investigated Bittu Aulakh. He, too, wrote his name. Bhola has been convicted. I got 17 accused convicted, and their illegal property was attached and confiscated. This case has the same ground. The guilty are behind bars,' Singh said. He said, 'The matter is still under investigation. Whatever is in the court and public domain, I can tell. Some people in contact with him were in Canada. We sought an investigation report about them from the Canadian government. The government never sent it to us. They were Satpreet Satta, Amrinder Singh Laddi, Parminder Singh Pindi and many others.' 'I have recorded statements in which his name figures. I have submitted the report to the court. Based on those statements only, 17 persons were convicted. That means the court agreed with my statements and evidence,' he said. He said, 'The challan was to be presented by the SIT, but they did not. I can only help whenever an agency seeks my help.' He said that the Vigilance had never contacted him earlier. 'I have given a verbal statement. The police have to record it. I gave the details of the Bhola drug case and what came into the investigations about Majithia. I had submitted the statements of Bhola and Aulakh in the trial court. The contents of their statement were required by the VB. I have told them about it.' 'I am neither in favour nor against anyone. I am only responsible for the investigation I have done. There is no politics as far as my investigation is concerned. There are many statements, there are revelations, and the accused has named him. Since the investigation is pending, it is not fair to say anything. The investigation is going on, and is live and in progress. It has not been closed,' he added.
The Print
14 hours ago
- The Print
Iranian woman admits to duping US citizen at airport with absconding husband, similar thefts across Delhi
Singh had registered an FIR at the IGI Airport Police Station on 21 June, stating that on the night of 20 June, he was approached by an Iranian couple, along with a child, while he was unloading his luggage from a bus near departure gate 7 of the airport. The woman has been identified as Fatemah Akbari and the victim as Baldev Singh, who hails from Hoshiarpur in Punjab, but has been residing in the US since 2001, the police said in a statement. New Delhi: A 52-year-old Iranian woman was arrested from a guesthouse in Saket in Delhi Thursday for allegedly duping an Indian-origin US citizen of $700 in currency notes at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport. The couple, he said, claimed to be heading towards Dubai and struck a light-hearted conversation with him. On learning that he was travelling to the US, they requested Singh to show their child an Indian currency note. Accepting their request, he handed the child a Rs 50 note. The couple then asked to see US currency notes. Relying on their good intentions, Singh took out a bundle of nine $100 notes from his side bag and showed it to them. The couple took the notes, showed them to the child, and appeared to have returned the same bundle. However, on inspecting the notes later, Singh discovered that seven notes from the centre of the bundle had been replaced with five Rs 500 currency notes. The returned bundle had only two $100 notes at the top and bottom, according to the FIR registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections relating to cheating. A special investigation team led by inspector Sushil Goyal, SHO, IGI Airport, was formed under the supervision of Additional Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport) Usha Rangnani to crack down on the case. According to details of the probe in Rangnani's statement, the team examined CCTV footage outside the airport and identified the vehicle used by the accused: a Renault Triber car registered under the name of Beena, a resident of Vikaspuri. Further inquiry revealed an address linked to the CRPF Mahila Battalion registered for the vehicle. The team, upon visiting the address, found no record of Beena Kaur, but, on checking traffic challans for the vehicle, found a phone number. The inactive number was found registered under the name of Param Singh, Beena's husband. On further probe, the police found that the car had been rented to an Iranian family in February this year. Their contact number, shared with the car-owner, was found switched off, but the police managed to trace the car's GPS location to a guesthouse in Saket. The police team rushed there and apprehended Fatemah Akbari, but her husband, Mojtaba Zolfaghari, also an accused in the matter, managed to escape. According to the ACP's statement, Fatemah during questioning admitted to have been involved in the crime. She told the police that the couple were facing financial hardship and thus formulated a strategy to target foreign nationals at various locations such as Lajpat Nagar, Connaught Place, Khan Market, and the airport on various pretext. The statement said Fatemah also disclosed that she and her husband had been involved in similar cheating and theft cases registered at police stations in Lajpat Nagar, Vasant Kunj, RK Puram and Gurugram. The ACP stated that the couple hails from Tehran and are refugee status holders under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Efforts are on to nab the absconding accused, examine their bank accounts and track possible involvement in similar cases. (Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui) Also Read: How Hindutva activist 'tricked' man into paying Rs 5-cr for poll ticket with 'paid actors & a swami'
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Time of India
‘Punjab govt ignored FIR, blocked action': ED ex-official says convicts named Bikram Singh Majithia
Mohali: Former ED deputy director Niranjan Singh on Saturday said that though SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia 's name had not emerged directly in the Rs 6,000-crore drug and money laundering racket which he probed, several convicted accused had mentioned him. Talking to media after recording his statement with the Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) in connection with the latest disproportionate assets (DA) case against Majithia, Singh said drug kingpin Jagdish Singh Bhola had also named the former Punjab minister belonging to the Shiromani Akali Dal. "Multiple accused took his name. I was pressurised at the time not to proceed further in that direction. The then Punjab govt ignored the FIR and blocked further action," Singh said. Niranjan Singh had led the investigation into the Rs 6,000-crore case, He added that despite the pressure, he continued with the case and secured convictions for 17 accused. "When I resigned in protest, the high court stayed my resignation and ordered me to carry on with the investigation," he added. Clarifying his appearance before the bureau, Singh said the present case pertained to disproportionate assets, but he shared the same foundational links to the earlier drug investigation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo "I informed vigilance that all related documents and recorded statements are available in the ED's record room. They can access those records, and if needed, I am willing to assist again," he said. He reiterated his personal commitment to the fight against drug trafficking . "I stand with Punjab in its battle against drugs. I've always stood on the side of truth," he said. Majithia, who has consistently denied the charges, was recently arrested by VB from his Amritsar residence in a fresh FIR. He has been remanded in police custody for seven days. BOX The 6,000cr case On July 30 last year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) special court found former deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Jagdish Singh Bhola and 17 others guilty in a massive drug trafficking case worth approximately Rs 6,000 crore The case, which surfaced in March 2013, came to light following the arrest of Canadian NRI Anoop Singh Kahlon in Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab Bhola, a dismissed DSP and Arjuna Award winner for his feats in wrestling, was subsequently arrested, sparking controversy with his allegations against prominent figures The case unveiled a major international drug trafficking racket, with Bhola's claims implicating high-profile individuals, including politician Bikram Singh Majithia.
