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DA case: VB raids residence of Capt’s ex-adviser BIS Chahal
The raid was conducted to nab Chahal but he was not there, they said; Chahal, a close aide of Capt, was booked in August under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act
A team of officials from the Punjab vigilance bureau on Wednesday raided the Patiala residence of Bharat Inder Singh Chahal, the former adviser to ex-chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, in a disproportionate assets case, official sources said.
The raid was conducted to nab Chahal but he was not there, they said.
Chahal, a close aide of Capt, was booked in August under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
“We raided Chahal’s residence in Patiala, and his possible hideouts in Panchkula and Mohali simultaneously to arrest him,” said a senior official privy to the investigation.
The bureau has found out that the income of Chahal and his family members from March 2017 to September 2021 was ₹7.85 crore against the expenditure of ₹31.71 crore — almost 305% more than his known sources of income.
Chahal had made properties in his own as well as his family members’ names, including the Dashmesh Luxury Wedding Resort (Alcazar) situated on the Sirhind road and a five-storey commercial building on the Mini Secretariat road in Patiala.
He was the adviser to the former chief minister from 2017 till September 2021 and his media adviser from 2002 till 2007.
After Capt was unceremoniously ousted from the chief minister’s post in 2021, he quit the Congress and floated his own party — Punjab Lok Congress (PLC). Chahal’s son had unsuccessfully contested the 2022 state assembly polls from Sanaur on a PLC ticket.
Chahal, along with Capt, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last year.
