VIGILANCE REGISTERS CASE AGAINST FIVE CONTRACTORS
Chandigarh, February 9 : During its ongoing campaign against corruption in the state, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has registered a criminal case against five contractors for fraudulent activities in the allotment of tenders for transporting food grains in various grain markets of Sri Muktsar Sahib district. Today, the spokesperson of the VB revealed that they have charged contractor Prem Chand, contractor Vishu Mittal, contractor Yogesh Gupta, Contractor Rajiv Kumar, and Ramandeep Singh, owner of Bhag Road Lines Transport, under sections 420, 465, 468, 471, and 120-B of the IPC at the police station economic offences wing, Ludhiana range.
According to the spokesperson, investigations revealed that during the 2019-20 period, the accused colluded with each other and with officers/officials of the Department of Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs to fraudulently obtain tenders for food grain transportation.
During the probe, investigators discovered that the accused had submitted forged lists of vehicles, including pickup vans, motorcycles, and scooters, which were incapable of transporting food grains. Moreover, investigators found that these individuals embezzled government funds based on fake gate passes.
The department processed bills using forged gate passes and released funds to the contractors, resulting in a loss to the state exchequer. The VB is actively pursuing the arrest of the accused, and further investigation into the case is underway.
