The vigilance bureau on Thursday arrested a commission agent (arthiya) from Mullanpur Dakha in the alleged ₹ 2,000 crore food grain transportation scam case.
The accused has been identified as Krishan Lal alias Dhoti Wala, 50, and ₹12 lakh in cash was recovered from his possession.
This is the third arrest in the case. Earlier, VB had arrested a contractor Telu Ram and former cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu.
Senior superintendent of police (SSP, vigilance bureau) Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu said that during probe, it came to fore that Lal used to procure food grains from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar at cheap rates and sold to in Punjab for higher prices. Sandhu added that it has also come to light that low-quality food grains procured from other states were being mixed with high quality ones in Punjab. Lal was also allegedly involved in bogus billing connected to irregularities in tenders.
The SSP added that the Lal runs a commission agent shop in Mullanpur Dakha and personally knows Ashu and Rakesh Kumar Singla, former deputy director of food and civil supplies.
The vigilance bureau also summoned six officials from the food and civil supplies department for questioning in connection with the missing files of Singla’s appointment as chief of vigilance committee (CVC) in the department, which was allegedly cleared by Ashu. The six officials joined the investigation on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}The vigilance bureau also summoned six officials from the food and civil supplies department for questioning in connection with the missing files of Singla’s appointment as chief of vigilance committee (CVC) in the department, which was allegedly cleared by Ashu. The six officials joined the investigation on Thursday.
{{/usCountry}}Ashu was arrested by the vigilance bureau on August 22 and is lodged in Patiala Jail.