₹2,000 crore foodgrain transportation scam: Ashu’s loyalist Bhalla sent to two-day remand
Vigilance Bureau officials will attach the properties of dismissed food and supply department deputy director RK Singla, Ashu’s personal assistants (PAs) Meenu Pankaj Malhotra and Inderjit Singh Indi, who are on the run.
The court sent Congress leader and Ward 54 councillor Gagandeep alias Sunny Bhalla, who was arrested for his involvement in the ₹2,000 crore foodgrain transportation scam, to a two-day remand on Thursday .
The Vigilance Bureau, who had arrested Bhalla, a confidante of former congress minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, on Wednesday, had sought a five-day remand, claiming that the money earned by the former food, civil supplies and consumer affairs minister through the scam had been invested in properties with the help of the accused.
However, Bhalla’s counsel argued that the bureau had been granted an eight-day remand of the former minister, but they were unable to fund anything. He also claimed that vigilance officials had summoned Bhalla to their office with certain documents, but rather than question him, he was arrested, despite there being “no proof” against his client. After hearing the arguments, the duty magistrate sent Bhalla to two-day police remand.
Bhalla is known to be Ashu’s right-hand man. When Ashu was a municipal councillor, Bhalla was a contractor in the municipal corporation. After Ashu won the MLA election, Bhalla’s wife contested the municipal corporation polls on a Congress ticket from Ashu’s ward and won. Later, Bhalla, too, became a councillor.
While 17 people have been nominated in the case, only four, including contractor Telu Ram, former minister Ashu, arhtiya Krishan Kumar Dhotiwala and councillor Sunny Bhalla were arrested.
VB to attach properties of the accused
Vigilance Bureau officials will attach the properties of dismissed food and supply department deputy director RK Singla, Ashu’s personal assistants (PAs) Meenu Pankaj Malhotra and Inderjit Singh Indi, who are on the run.
The department has already identified and evaluated six of Malhotra’s properties, three of Indi’s properties and one of Singla’s properties. The bureau has already initiated the process of declaring them proclaimed offenders.
The bureau had recovered ₹1.5 lakh cash, 32 US dollars, 10 UK pounds, 65 South American dollars, 240 gm gold, 2.65 kg silver, including 24 coins, 20 pieces of glass, bowls and ornaments, Aadhaar cards, PAN Card, cheque books, and three mobile phones from Singla’s house in Rajguru Nagar. The recovered items have been already attached with the case.
