Latest news with #PunjabVigilanceBureau
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Hindustan Times
High court dismisses woman constable's bail plea in DA case
Chandigarh The constable — Amandeep Kaur — had moved the high court seeking bail arguing that she had been falsely implicated in the case. Amandeep initially got entangled in a drug trafficking case and is now also being probed by the VB in a DA case. The allegations against a woman cop being probed by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) in a disproportionate (DA) case are 'grave and attract serious concern', particularly in light of the position of public trust held by her, the Punjab and Haryana high court said while dismissing bail plea of the woman constable. The constable — Amandeep Kaur — had moved the high court seeking bail arguing that she had been falsely implicated in the case. Amandeep initially got entangled in a drug trafficking case and is now also being probed by the VB in a DA case. She was arrested with 17.7gm of heroin on April 2 while driving in a black SUV. When her movable and immovable properties acquired between 2018 and 2025 were scrutinised during the investigation, it came to fore that she had a total income of ₹1.08 crore during the said period while her expenditure stood at ₹1.39 crore, the VB claimed. Later, assets, including a Mahindra Thar, a Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle, residential plots valued at over ₹1 crore, two iPhones and a Rolex watch, were also recovered from her. A case was registered on May 26 based on these findings under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act at Bathinda range police station. 'The material placed before this court, including the financial analysis chart submitted with the FIR, reveals a substantial and prima facie unjustified increase in wealth during the check period. The contention raised by learned counsel for the petitioner regarding arbitrary selection of the check period is not persuasive in the present context, especially when viewed in light of the overall financial inflow and also the alleged involvement of the petitioner in two other criminal cases, including a case under the NDPS Act,' the bench of justice Manjari Nehru Kaul said. The court rejected the explanation given by her lawyer stating that alternative sources of income — such as brand endorsements or social media monetization — has neither been substantiated on record nor is there any credible trial demonstrating lawful and declared generation of income. 'The nature of the allegations, the magnitude of the disproportion, the possibility of further recovery and scrutiny, and the involvement of the petitioner in other criminal cases necessitate a thorough investigation that would be hampered if the petitioner is released on bail at this stage,' it said, adding that the court also cannot lose sight of the fact that further investigation is underway, and a supplementary chargesheet is proposed to be filed on the basis of additional material discovered during the investigation.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: Forest scam: ED attaches properties worth ₹53.64 of forest officer
The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached immovable property worth ₹53.64 lakh belonging to Sukhwinder Singh, then range forest officer, Budhlada forest range, in connection with a money laundering investigation related to the forest scam during the Congress regime from 2017 to 2022. ED initiated an investigation based on two FIRs registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act (HT File) ED initiated an investigation based on two FIRs registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act. Sukhwinder was suspended after he was arrested by the vigilance bureau in August 2022 for alleged embezzlement of ₹45.69 lakh meant for cemented tree guards and ₹7 lakh for bamboo tree guards in connivance with the then divisional forest officer of Mansa and others. His suspension was revoked last year, and he is set to retire in 2026. ED investigation revealed that Sukhwinder procured bills of various non-existent entities and transferred funds to the bank account of various private persons, and later received the amount in cash. Through these criminal activities, the accused forest officer acquired proceeds of crime (POC) to the tune of ₹53.64 lakh, the ED statement added. This is the same case in which former forest minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot was arrested after a case under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 and a prosecution complaint was filed against him in the PMLA court in Mohali. The court in March this year framed charges against the former minister. Dharamsot, who is presently out on bail, was arrested by the federal agency on January 15 last year. The agency had provisionally attached Dharamsot's various properties to the tune of ₹4.58 crore in this case. According to the VB probe, the accused allegedly prepared fake bills of bogus firms and withdrew the money by diverting government funds to different bank accounts. The VB probe has revealed that in 2021, under the compensatory afforestation scheme, the principal chief conservator, Punjab, had approved the forest range, Mansa, for the procurement of 5,872 RCC tree guards, out of which 2,537 tree guards were to be prepared by the forest range officer, Mansa. Sukhwinder showed the purchase of 2,537 cemented tree guards from two private firms in Sangrur and Patiala and obtained purchase bills from these firms. During the investigation into the GST numbers and contact numbers of these firms written on their bills, it was found that no firm exists with the present addresses, the VB probe said.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Hindustan Times
VB arrests reader of consumer forum head for accepting ₹50k bribe
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested Varinder Goyal, posted as a reader to the president, district consumer disputes redressal forum, Tarn Taran, while receiving a bribe of ₹50,000. Punjab Vigilance Bureau Disclosing this here on Wednesday, a VB official spokesperson said that the accused has been apprehended based on a complaint filed by a resident of Deo village in Tarn Taran district. He further added that the complainant approached the VB alleging that her husband, an ASI, had expired in an accident in 2022. A case for compensation amounting to ₹30 lakh was approved by the Punjab Police department and sent to HDFC Bank for payment. 'The bank refused to pay the said compensation on flimsy grounds and she lodged a case with the district consumer disputes redressal forum, Tarn Taran,' the complainant said. The spokesperson said that the accused has demanded 10% of the compensation amount as a bribe to help the woman get the judgment in her favour. After preliminary verification of this complaint, the VB team laid a trap during which the accused was caught red-handed while accepting the first instalment of the bribe of ₹50,000 in the presence of two official witnesses. 'A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at VB police station, Amritsar range. The accused will be produced before the competent court tomorrow, and further investigation into this case is underway,' the spokesperson said. ASI caught red-handed accepting ₹12,000 bribe The vigilance bureau arrested an assistant sub-inspector, Jagtar Singh, posted at the police station sadar, Sangrur, red-handed while accepting a bribe of ₹12,000. A VB official spokesperson said that the arrest followed a complaint filed by a resident of Sangrur district. He added that the complainant approached the VB alleging that he had been granted bail by the high court, but the said ASI had demanded a ₹15,000 bribe. In addition to this, he has demanded ₹20,000 more to return the equipment confiscated from his house during the search. A VB team from the Patiala range laid a trap and apprehended the ASI while he was accepting ₹12,000 as a bribe from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses. 'A case under the relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused at VB police station,Patiala range. Further investigation into this case is underway,' he said.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Indian Express
ED freezes Rs 21 crore in bank accounts of Dr Amit Bansal, kin, de-addiction centres
The Jalandhar Zonal Unit of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday attached multiple bank accounts worth Rs 21 crore belonging to Dr Amit Bansal, his family members, and the now-defunct drug de-addiction centres operated by him in connection with their ongoing investigation into a drug diversion and money laundering case connected to private de-addiction centres across Punjab, an ED official said. The official said the probe involves the alleged misuse of prescription drugs and illegal financial transactions tied to 22 private drug de-addiction centres in Punjab. In this connection, the ED had on July 18 conducted coordinated raids at four locations in Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Barnala and Mumbai, the official said. According to ED sources, the agency is examining 'how drugs meant exclusively for registered addicts were diverted and sold illegally' and 'how the proceeds from these sales were laundered'. The ED took over the case from the Punjab Vigilance Bureau, which had initiated the investigation and arrested Dr Bansal around seven months ago. Dr Bansal, a Chandigarh-based physician, was accused of misusing Adnoc-N, a regulated combination of Buprenorphine and Naloxone, prescribed for opioid addiction treatment, by selling it to non-registered drug users, ED sources said. Though Dr Bansal is currently out on bail, all 22 of the centres in Punjab and one in Chandigarh have been shut down, the ED official said, adding that his Chandigarh centre was also sealed during the ED raid on July 18. So far, four FIRs have been registered against his centres in various districts, including Jalandhar, Ludhiana, and Patiala, the official said, adding that the Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested him in Chandigarh before handing the case over to the ED. According to ED sources, thousands of tablets were found missing from Dr Bansal's centres. During inspections, Dr Bansal reportedly claimed that the unused medicines had been returned to the pharmaceutical companies from which they were procured — a claim now under scrutiny, said ED sources. In earlier raids, ED sources said, the agency seized thousands of restricted tablets and over Rs 90,000 in cash from a Ludhiana hospital and other facilities linked to Dr Bansal. Ludhiana-based Drug Inspector Ruppreet Kaur was also named as a co-accused, they added. The official said the investigation uncovered further irregularities: at a hospital in Nakodar (Jalandhar), nearly 1.44 lakh tablets were found missing from the inventory. The agency alleged that Dr Bansal attempted to cover up the discrepancy with the help of departmental staff and certain officials. 'With a clear money laundering angle emerging, the ED's July 18 raids were aimed at collecting digital records and financial evidence related to the illegal sale of controlled substances,' the official said, confirming the 'seizure of several incriminating documents and electronic devices, which are currently under forensic examination'. According to ED authorities, more arrests are likely as the investigation progresses. Earlier, the former deputy commissioner of Jalandhar had conducted a probe into alleged misappropriation at Dr Bansal's Nakodar de-addiction centre. That inquiry, too, found several irregularities in the centre's operations.
The Hindu
19-07-2025
- The Hindu
SAD leader Majithia's judicial custody extended till August 2
A court in Punjab's Mohali district on Saturday (July 19, 2025) extended the judicial custody of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia, who was arrested in a disproportionate assets case, till August 2. Mr. Majithia was produced before the court in Mohali amid tight security arrangements. The SAD leader was sent to judicial custody earlier on July 6. Speaking to the media after hearing in the court, Public Prosecutor Ferry Sofat said the court allowed the application to extend Majithia's judicial custody. His judicial custody has been extended till August 2, he added. The SAD leader was brought from New Nabha Jail in Patiala for his appearance in the Mohali court. Heavy police deployment was made outside the district court complex in Mohali ahead of the hearing. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau had earlier, on June 25, arrested Majithia in the disproportionate assets case allegedly involving laundering of ₹540 crore of "drug money". In the fresh FIR registered against Mr. Majithia, the Vigilance Bureau had claimed the preliminary investigations revealed that more than Rs 540 crore of "drug money" has been laundered through several ways, and it was allegedly facilitated by Mr. Majithia. This FIR against Mr. Majithia stems from an ongoing investigation being conducted by a Special Investigation Team of the Punjab Police into the 2021 drug case. In 2021, Mr. Majithia was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The action was taken on the basis of a 2018 report of the anti-drug Special Task Force. Mr. Majithia spent more than five months in Patiala jail and walked out of prison in August 2022 after the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail.
