E-Paper
Punjab | Forest officer sent to 4-day police remand in multi-crore scam
Parveen Kumar, an Indian Forest Services officer, was arrested on Monday over his suspected role in organised corruption for giving choice postings, cutting of khair trees, issuance of no-objection certificates for commercial establishments and purchase of tree guards worth crores of rupees
A day after being arrested by the Punjab vigilance bureau for his alleged involvement in a multi-crore forest scam, a local court on Tuesday sent the principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) for wildlife, Parveen Kumar to four-day police custody.
Kumar, an Indian Forest Services officer, was arrested on Monday over his suspected role in organised corruption for giving choice postings, cutting of khair trees, issuance of no-objection certificates for commercial establishments and purchase of tree guards worth crores of rupees.
The vigilance bureau had claimed of gathering “circumstantial evidence” against Kumar on the basis of which he was nominated as accused in the present case.
Kumar was summoned by the vigilance officials and later arrested after a four-hour interrogation.
Seeking his remand, the vigilance team contended that crucial information regarding the case needed to be extracted from him.
A case under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant), 420 (cheating), 465/467/468 (all forgery), 471 and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code and Sections 7, 7 (A), 13 (1) and 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered by the vigilance bureau.
The bureau had registered an FIR in connection with the embezzlement of funds during the tenure of forest minister Sangat Singh Gilzian in the previous Congress government.
