Vigilance attaches assets of fugitive food & civil supplies ex-dy director
VB SAID EIGHT MORE ASSETS RELATED TO RK SINGLA HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AND THE PROCESS TO ATTACH THESE HAS STARTED
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has attached the properties of RK Singla, ex-deputy director, food and civil supplies, who has been declared a proclaimed offender (PO) in ₹2,000-crore foodgrains transportation scam which took place during 2017-2022 Congress regime.
The Ludhiana court declared him PO in the case and recently allowed the VB to attach properties under Section 18A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, which the probe agency claims were purchased from the illgotten money generated via bribes.
“Four properties have been attached and the vigilance has further found eight such properties. The procedure to attach those has also started,” a VB spokesperson said.
On August 16, 2022, the vigilance bureau registered a case against former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, his PA Pankaj Kumar, alias Menu Malhotra, then food and civil supplies deputy director RK Singla, district food and civil supplies controller (DFSC) Rakesh Bhaskar, besides three contractors — Telu Ram, Yashpal, Ajaypal besides others— for committing the fraud and embezzlement, causing a huge loss to the state exchequer by allegedly committing irregularities in accepting labour, cartage and transportation tenders for grain markets in Ludhiana district.
An FIR was registered under Sections 420 (cheating), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 467 (forgery of valuable security, etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), 120B (party to a criminal conspiracy to commit an offence) of the IPC and sections 7 (2), 8, 12 and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act at the VB police station in Ludhiana.
He was also declared PO (proclaimed offender) in the above case in 2022. A look-out notice has also been issued against him.
He is also facing a disproportionate assets case registered by VB in 2023.
“His wife Rachna Singla has also been implicated in the case, and as per VB probe, RK Singla, in criminal connivance of his wife Rachna Singla, purchased several properties in her name which are disproportionate to his known sources of income,” the spokesperson added.
The properties attached include a plot measuring 298.66 yards situated at Sunet village, Guru Amardass Nagar, Ludhiana, two plots of 150 yards each at Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar, Ludhiana, plot measuring 300 yards, situated at Tharike village, Ludhiana.
During the investigation, eight more properties related to RK Singla were also identified and the process to get approval to attach these has started.
“These include a showroom of 121.51 square yards, four showrooms of 98 square yards each in ‘The Celebration Bazaar’ near Patwarkhana, GT Road, Khanna, Flat no 304 Category-A, Second floor RCS Gazetted Officers, Punjab Cooperative Society Sector 48-A Chandigarh, an office space of 850 square feet at International Trade Tower (ITT), Mullanpur, and Lake Commercial Project Super Commercial Space 1651 square feet.
“For these eight properties, we have moved an application in court for attachment”, said officials.