*Vigilance Bureau arrests former minister Ashu’s absconding PA Inderjit Singh Indi*

· Surrenders before VB in apprehension of PO proceedings

Indi absconded with bag containing jewellery, documents received from Ashu’s house

Chandigarh January 2 : The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Monday arrested absconding accused Inderjit Singh Indi in the multi crore transportation tender scam in the grain markets of the State when he surrendered himself in the office of Bureau at Ludhiana.

He was working as private personal assistant (PA) with former food and civil supplies minister of Punjab Bharat Bhushan Ashu.

Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the VB said the above said accused was under pressure having apprehension that the court could declare him proclaimed offender (PO) in this scam as the VB has already initiated legal proceedings against him and next date of hearing was fixed for 04-01-2023. He would be produced in competent court tomorrow at Ludhiana.

Giving more details he informed that the Bureau had already registered a case under FIR No. 11 dated 16-08-2022, under sections 420, 409, 467, 468, 471, 120-B of IPC and 7, 8, 12, 13(2) of prevention of corruption act against contractor Telu Ram, Jagroop Singh, Sandeep Bhatia and owners/partners of Gurdas Ram & company as well as officers/officials of Punjab food and civil supply department besides respective officials/employees of the concerned procurement agencies for allocation of labour and transportation tenders in various grain markets in lieu of taking gratification.

The spokesperson said that in this case accused Telu Ram, former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, private PA of former minister Pankaj Kumar @ Meenu Malhotra, Krishan Lal Dhotiwala and Anil Jain (Both commission agents) had already been arrested and all are in judicial custody. In addition to this, the VB had already presented supplementary chargesheet against Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Telu Ram and Krishan Lal in the competent court at Ludhiana.

Giving details the spokesperson further informed that during the probe and material evidence, it has came to light that the above mentioned accused was working as PA with Bharat Bhushan Ashu and the VB on 24-08-2022, received a secret information that after arrest of Bharat Bhushan Ashu, accused Inderjit Indi had received a bag containing jewellery, documents etc from an unknown person who brought it from Ashu’s house on 22-08-2022. After taking this bag Indi had left for unknown place to hide it. After verification, the scene was found captured in CCTV cameras, accordingly Inderjeet Indi was nominated as an accused on 26-08-2023. He added that further investigation of this case was under progress.