Ludhiana: Two ex-army men among three held for posing as Vigilance officials
The arrested accused have been identified as Manjeet Singh of Bhaini Salu, Paramjeet Singh of Mehlon village and Parminder Singh of Akash Colony, Hoshiarpur
Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) arrested three persons including two ex-army personnel for allegedly posing as the agency’s officers and taking cheques worth ₹25 lakhs from a resident of Bhaini Salu village.
The arrested accused have been identified as Manjeet Singh of Bhaini Salu, Paramjeet Singh of Mehlon village and Parminder Singh of Akash Colony, Hoshiarpur.
Probe officials said Manjeet and Parminder are ex-army personnel.
Sharing further details, a Vigilance spokesperson said Palwinder, a resident of Bhaini Salu village, had filed a complaint with them.
Palwinder in his complaint said he had sold off 18 acres of his ancestral land a few months ago. Thereafter, he received a government notice regarding selling of panchayat land, following which, three unknown persons visited his house on August 12, 2023, and introduced themselves as Vigilance officers.
The complainant alleged that they demanded ₹50 lakh from him to settle the matter of selling panchayat land, saying an inquiry into the sale was pending at the Chandigarh office. They told him a case would be registered against him if he was to refuse the payment.
Fearful, the complainant agreed to pay ₹25 lakh. One of the accused persons also took an additional ₹27,000 from him.
Thereafter, the complainant began receiving threatening calls on WhatsApp to pay another ₹25 lakh.
A first information report (FIR) under sections 7, 7-A of Prevention of Corruption Act and 384 (extortion), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at the VB Ludhiana range police station.
The accused, Manjeet Singh and Paramjeet Singh, were arrested on Monday and have been sent on a police remand until August 31. Parminder Singh, meanwhile, was arrested on Tuesday.
Vigilance has also nominated four more people in the case and a manhunt has been launched to arrest the remaining accused.