Previous former Congress minister for meals and civil provides Bharat Bhushan Ashu and a contractor Telu Ram had been arrested within the case.

Ludhiana vigilance vary SSP Ravinder Buddy Singh Sandhu mentioned that all over the probe it got here out that Lal used to acquire foodgrain from UP and Bihar at affordable charges and used to promote it at upper charges in Punjab. He used to be additionally allegedly taken with bogus billing associated with irregularities in tenders.

“He’s identified to Ashu and some other accused Rakesh Kumar Singla. He runs his fee agent store at Mullanpur Dakha and has been arrested. We have now recovered Rs 12 lakh from his ownership and the supply of the cash is being probed,” mentioned the SSP.

“All over wondering, it has come to mild that low high quality foodgrain procured from different states used to be being jumbled in top of the range ones in Punjab. Lal additionally owns some shellers which thrived in connivance with meals and civil provides division officers and different accused,” mentioned the SSP.

In the meantime, the vigilance additionally summoned six officers from the meals and civil provides division’s head place of job in Chandigarh for wondering associated with “lacking” file recordsdata of Singla’s elevation as leader of vigilance committee within the division which used to be allegedly cleared by way of Ashu. “They’ve joined the investigation,” mentioned the SSP.

The vigilance has alleged that Telu Ram, one of the such contractors, had bagged a freelance for lifting and transporting wheat and paddy grains from mandis of Ludhiana district after paying a bribe of Rs 26 lakh. The vigilance additional mentioned that the in-gate passes touching on loading/unloading of foodgrain, and registration numbers of automobiles used for the carriage had been discovered to be of scooters/bikes/automobiles, which can not shipping foodgrain. The main points of the registration numbers of the mentioned automobiles in addition to the volume of the commodity discussed in those gate passes prima facie seem to be a case of faux reporting and embezzlement of the foodgrain.

The vigilance bureau has booked 8 accused — contractors Telu Ram, Sandeep Bhatia and Jagroop Singh; former minister Ashu, his aides Pankaj Meenu Malhotra and Inderjit Indi, fee agent Krishan Lal and Rakesh Singla, the brushed aside legit of the meals division — within the case. 3 had been arrested, whilst the remaining are absconding.