Corruption case: Punjab Vigilance Bureau gets 5-day custody of AAP MLA Raman Arora
Raman Arora was arrested on Friday in an alleged corruption and extortion racket being run under his patronage and produced in the local court on Saturday.
The local court sent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA from Jalandhar Central Raman Arora to five-day vigilance bureau custody on Saturday.
The first-time legislator was arrested on Friday in an alleged corruption and extortion racket being run under his patronage and produced in the local court on Saturday. The VB requested a 10-day remand, but the court granted it for five days after listening to an hour-long argument between both parties.
While seeking Arora’s custody, the VB told the court that several incriminating documents along with cash worth ₹6 lakh and gold ornaments weighing 1.2kg were recovered from his residence during the raids.
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On Friday, the VB conducted a seven-hour-long raid at the Jalandhar residence of Arora and arrested him later in a corruption case involving former assistant town planner (ATP) of the municipal corporation, Sukhdev Vashisht, who was arrested last week.
According to a VB spokesperson, Arora allegedly used Vashisht to issue bogus notices and extort money from targeted individuals. Vashisht is also presently in VB custody.
According to sources in the VB, Arora, who once remained close to AAP top leadership in the state, including CM Bhagwant Mann and AAP state president Aman Arora, was on the probe agency’s radar for the past 3-4 months after several complaints were received against him at the government and party level.
Arora’s security was withdrawn by the state government last week, indicating action against its legislator.
One of the senior VB officials, pleading anonymity, said they have successfully cracked the alleged modus operandi adopted by both Arora and ATP Vashisht, who was posted in Pathankot as a senior draftsman and also held the additional charge of ATP, Jalandhar municipal corporation with small breaks in between, from April 2022 till now.
“We will carry out a thorough investigation based on documents, official files and notices recovered from the possession of both Vashisht and Arora. If required, both the accused will be brought face-to-face for detailed questioning,” the VB official added.
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The bureau is also probing Arora’s close relatives and personal staff. “We are probing the details, including how long both Arora and Vashisht were working in connivance, besides getting details of the properties, whether registered or ‘benami’, allegedly acquired by Arora and his family members after he became a member of the legislative assembly,” an official said.
Meanwhile, senior lawyer Darshan Singh Dyal, who is representing Arora, said that the case was registered out of political rivalry after the AAP leadership was miffed with Arora over certain issues.
“My client told me that he had expressed his disagreement with the policies of the state government. This did not go down well with party leadership. His security was withdrawn first before falsely nominating and arresting him in the present case,” Singh said.
He alleged that the recoveries shown by the vigilance bureau were a farce as all the details of moveable properties, including cash and gold ornaments being possessed by Arora and his family, were mentioned in his 2022 election affidavit.
The VB had said that the investigation has revealed a unique modus operandi followed by the ATP in connivance with MLA for extorting money from people of the city and indulging in corruption.
“The arrested ATP, at the behest of MLA Arora, would identify constructed or under-construction buildings, both commercial and residential, and serve them notices for alleged violations. When the building owners or their representatives would approach the official concerned, he would direct them to the said MLA. The said MLA would then settle the matter by taking illegal gratification,” the VB said.
VB added that on receiving an affirmative message from the said MLA, the files would be consigned by the accused ATP and no action was initiated.
“Nearly 75-80 such notices related to the nexus have been recovered. The same modus operandi would be followed in clearing other files,” the VB added.
The VB probe unearthed that despite 70% of building maps in the area having been approved by the MC, Vashisht refused to clear files unless bribes were paid. The complainants accused Vashisht of issuing threats, including sealing buildings, if the bribe was not paid.
Arora, who is the third AAP MLA facing VB action for corruption in three years, was arrested after eight hours of questioning.
His arrest comes exactly three years after the VB arrested former health minister and Mansa MLA Dr Vijay Singla for corruption on May 24, 2022. Bathinda Rural AAP MLA Amit Rattan Kotfatta was caught in a corruption case on February 23, 2023.
