Congress turned BJP leader arrested by vigilance bureau in Punjab
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in
In a late night action, former Industries Minister in the Capt Amarinder Singh government Sunder Sham Arora has been arrested by the state vigilance bureau from Zirakpur.
He was already on the vigilance radar. The bureau had already summoned him in a disproportionate assets case last month and had been again summoned by the Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Wednesday.
The Vigilance Bureau (VB) Punjab has arrested former minister Sundar Sham Arora for offering bribe of Rs 50 lakh to an Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Bureau.
Disclosing this here today Varinder Kumar, Chief Director, Vigilance Bureau Punjab said in this regard a FIR No. 19, dated 15-10-2022 under section 8 of Prevention of Corruption Act has registered against the former minister on the statement of Manmohan Kumar, AIG, VB, Flying Squad, Punjab.
He further informed that AIG Manmohan Kumar has complained that Arora met him on October 14, 2022 and offered him Rs one crore for getting favour in a vigilance enquiry registered against him.
The VB chief further added that the former minister has offered to pay Rs 50 lakh on next day i.e. October 15, 2022 and the balance amount at a later date. He informed that the AIG has apprised the chief director who has ordered to register bribery case against the accused. In this case Arora has been arrested and Rs 50 lakh has been recovered from him. Further investigation in this case is under progress.
He has been under scanner for alleged irregularities in transfer and bifurcation of a 25-acre land of erstwhile Punjab Anand Lamps Limited (Philips) in Phase IX of Mohali. The VB suspects a loss of around Rs 600 crore to the state exchequer in the case.
The Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation (PSIDC) had allotted 25-acre land to Punjab Anand Lamps Ltd at subsidised rates in 1987. The land was sold to Gulmohar Township for Rs 120 crore in 2020.
Congress turned BJP leader arrested by vigilance bureau in Punjab. He along with former congress ministers Raj Kumar Verka, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Gurpreet Singh Kangar had joined the BJP in June 2022 in the presence of Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Som Parkash, state unit chief Ashwani Sharma, and senior party leaders Dushyant Gautam, Tarun Chugh, Sunil Jakhar and Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
October 16,2022
