CHANDIGARH/JALANDHAR
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested Iqbal Singh Sandhu, a retired Punjab Civil Services (PCS) officer in connection with a scam committed during the acquisition of 94.97 acres of land for Surya Enclave Extension by the Improvement Trust Jalandhar. He was then posted as SDM-cum-Land Acquisition Collector (LAC), Improvement Trust, Jalandhar.
Giving detailed information, an official spokesperson of the VB said that during the probe it was found that at the time of payment of compensation of the said land to its actual owners, fake documents were prepared in the place of real beneficiaries.
A case under Sections 409, 419, 420, 465, 467, 468, 201, and 120-B of IPC and sections 7, and 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered at New Barandri police station Jalandhar.
This case was transferred to the VB and is being investigated by the Bureau regarding embezzlement in the distribution of compensation amounting to Rs.4,32,15,438 in connivance with officers/employees of the said Trust.
During the investigation, it was found that Iqbal Singh Sandhu, as LAC, in connivance with officials/employees of Trust and his acquaintance accused Manjit Sharma, a resident of Aman Nagar, Jalandhar had created files by attaching fake documents regarding the distribution of compensation to the owners.
He cleared those files within 3-4 days and bank cheques amounting to Rs. 5,49,18,523 were issued in the name of fake persons, while these individuals were not entitled to get compensation.
VB said that it was also found that the accused Iqbal Singh Sandhu was very close to the said accused Manjit Sharma and gave his DO letter in the year 2012 to get him a new passport.
The spokesperson added that in this case, 14 accused had already been arrested so far including the said Manjit Sharma, Sukhdev Singh Patwari, an employee of Improvement Trust Jalandhar, a resident of village Bilga, Jalandhar, Prem Prakash Nambardar of village Puranpur, Jalandhar, Advocate Mohit Bhardwaj, a resident of New Santokhpura, Jalandhar, Advocate Deepak Sadana, resident of Chhoti Banradri, Jalandhar, Amandeep Singh Nambardar, resident of New Sarajganj, Jalandhar, Kulwant Singh, village Baghana, district Kapurthala, Jatinder Kumar Sharma, resident of New Lakshmipura, Jalandhar, Tarlok Singh alias Bittu, resident of Hargobind Nagar , Jalandhar, Sandeep Sharma, resident of Sanjay Gandhi Colony, Jalandhar, Surinder Kumar Cashier, in Improvement Trust, Jalandhar, Gurdeep Singh, resident of village Jandu Singhan, Jalandhar, Rajinder Singh, resident of Bilga, district Jalandhar and Ravi Kumar resident of Bilga District Jalandhar.