E-Paper
Graft case: VB attaches assets of former PUNSUP official Rakesh Kumar Singla, his family
The case was filed under Sections 13(1)(b) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has attached eight properties and three bank accounts belonging to former deputy director of the Punjab food and civil supplies department, Rakesh Kumar Singla, his wife Rachna Singla, their sons Swaraj Singla and Siddarth Singla, following a court order in the ongoing graft cases against them.
Disclosing this here today, a VB spokesperson said the attachment order was issued by the Ludhiana court in a case lodged on April 19, 2023. The case was filed under Sections 13(1)(b) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The properties attached include five commercial shops at “The Celebration Bazar”, near Patwarkhana, on GT Road in Khanna. Also attached are a flat in Sector 48, Chandigarh, an office space in the International Trade Tower at Mullanpur, SAS Nagar, and an SCO in the Lake Commercial Project in the Omax project, Mohali.
“Additionally, the bureau has attached bank balances amounting to ₹1.08 crore received by Rachna Singla as rental returns from aforementioned properties, as well as rent amounts of ₹14 lakh and ₹16 lakh received by Swaraj Singla and Siddarth Singla, respectively, from other properties,” the spokesperson added.
He further stated that the court, in its order dated September 15, has restrained the accused and their legal heirs/attorneys from transferring or mortgaging these properties during the pendency of the case.
This action is part of the broader investigation into allegations that Singla amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income during his tenure, the spokesperson said.
“The investigation revealed that he (Singla) illegally purchased properties in the names of his family members using proceeds from corruption. The accused Singla and his wife, residents of Rajguru Nagar, Ludhiana, have been evading law enforcement, leading to the court declaring them as proclaimed offenders. Further investigation into this case is underway,” he said.
Notably, an FIR under sections 420, 409, 467, 468, 471, 120 B of IPC and 7, 8, 12, 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against former cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Rakesh Kumar Singla and others at police station VB, Ludhiana Range on August 16, 2022 in connection with illegal allotment of labour, cartage tenders to the various contractors for the year 2020-21 for transportation of foodgrains. The Punjab and Haryana high court in December 2024 quashed two separate FIRs against Ashu, which had been registered for cheating and corruption by the state Vigilance Bureau.
