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Ludhiana trader surrenders before local court in ₹2,000 crore food grain transportation scam
Latest development brings the number of arrests in the in ₹2,000 crore food grain transportation scam up to 13
Trader Parmjeet Chechi, a resident of Shashtri Nagar, Jagraon, and owner of Gurdas Ram and Sons surrendered before a local court on Monday after his anticipatory bail application in the ₹2,000 crore food grain transportation scam was dismissed by the Supreme Court.
The court remanded the accused to three days of Vigilance Bureau custody for questioning on Monday.
Another trader, Kalu Ram of New Abadi of Jaiton Mandi, Faridkot, had earlier on Friday been arrested by the Vigilance. A spokesperson said the accused, Chechi and Kalu Ram, were closely associated with former food and civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu and absconding accused Rakesh Kumar Singla, a suspended deputy director of the department.
The Vigilance spokesperson added that Chechi had submitted tender documents having lists of vehicles containing registration numbers of cars, scooters and managed to get the contracts of grain markets in Jagraon cluster in connivance with the officials of food and civil Supplies department.
During the investigations, these registration numbers and the gate passes issued for storage of food grains were found fake as the same numbers were endorsed containing numbers of cars and scooters.
On August 16, 2022 the vigilance bureau had registered a case against the partners of Gurdas Ram and Company, officials of the state food and civil supplies department, and employees of concerned procurement agencies for allegedly committing irregularities in accepting labour, cartage and transportation tenders for grain markets in Ludhiana district.
A total of 13 accused, including Ashu, have already been arrested in connection with the case so far.
