*Vigilance Bureau registers case against Ludhiana Improvement Trust former Chairman and five others for illegal sale of plots*

Chandigarh July 28 :

With Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab Government having adopted zero-tolerance against corruption, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Thursday registered a criminal case against former Chairman of Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) Raman Balasubramanium including its Executive Officer Kuljit Kaur, SDO Ankit Narang, sales clerk Parveen Kumar, clerk Gagandeep and PA to chairman Sandeep Sharma. In this case PA Sandeep Sharma has been arrested and further investigation is under progress.

Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the State Vigilance Bureau (VB) said the Bureau has arrested LIT Junior Assistant Harmit Singh and Executive Officer Kuljit Kaur red handed while accepting bribe of Rs. 10,000 in a corruption case on July 14 2022. in this regard FIR No. 8 dated 14.07.2022 U/S 7, 7A of Prevention of Corruption Act and 120-B IPC at police station VB Ludhiana have already been registered.

            Giving more details he informed that during the investigation of this bribery case it has came to light that the LIT officials by adopting corrupt practices had allotted plot no. 9-B in SBS Nagar, plot no. 102, 103, 104, 105, 106-D in Rishi Nagar and plot no. 366-B, 140 in Sarabha Nagar which were falling under Local Displaced Persons (LDP) and other schemes of the trust to unauthorised persons by getting huge amounts of bribe.

            The spokesperson further added that it was found that some of the allottees had died and their plots had been allotted to some unauthorised persons violating prescribed rules after taking huge bribe money.

In this regard a case under FIR No 09 u/s 7, 7A, 8, 12, 13(2) of Prevention of Corruption Act and u/s 409, 420, 467, 471, 120-B of IPC has been registered by the Economic Offences Wing of the Bureau at VB police station Ludhiana and further investigation is being carried out against the accused/officials of LIT.