Mohali: A Mohali court on Thursday sent Daljit Singh Gilzian, nephew of former forest minister Sangat Singh Gilzian, to police custody till July 17, a day after he was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) for allegedly acting as a middleman to collect bribes and kickbacks on behalf of his uncle, who is facing corruption charges.
Daljit was arrested from his residence in Sector 37, Chandigarh on Wednesday. Pleading the case in the court, the public prosecutor said the VB is to establish the chain and connections used by Daljit as a middleman to collect money from contractors, besides transfers of department officials, illegal mining, purchase of tree guards, issuance of permits for felling of khair trees, issuance of NOCs for construction of slip roads for commercial establishments near highways, and other works in the department at behest of Sangat Singh Gilzian, who remained the forest minister during the previous Congress regime.
The VB said it has recovered a diary which has several leads to arrest Daljit. The contents of the diary are to be corroborated during his interrogation, said the prosecution.
The VB is also to establish the contacts of Daljit with forest contractor Harminder Singh Hammi, who was earlier arrested by the bureau and had confessed that he gave ₹5 lakh bribe to Gilzian through one Kulwinder Singh for issuance of permit for cutting of khair trees at Nada village of Mohali district. He had also given bribes to the range officer, block officer, and guard of this department, it is alleged.
{{/usCountry}}The VB is also to establish the contacts of Daljit with forest contractor Harminder Singh Hammi, who was earlier arrested by the bureau and had confessed that he gave ₹5 lakh bribe to Gilzian through one Kulwinder Singh for issuance of permit for cutting of khair trees at Nada village of Mohali district. He had also given bribes to the range officer, block officer, and guard of this department, it is alleged.
{{/usCountry}}The VB said Daljit was directly involved in the department affairs on behalf of the minister for which evidence are to be established during his interrogation.