Food grain scam: Ex-minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu’s absconding PA surrenders before VB
According to VB, Inderjit Singh Indi was on the run allegedly with a bag containing jewellery and documents he received from former cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu
Inderjit Singh Indi, another personnel assistant to former cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, surrendered before the vigilance bureau on Monday. Indi is one of the accused in the alleged ₹2000 cr food grain transportation scam. He was on the run for the past four and a half months. A total of eight accused out of 17 have been arrested in the case.
A vigilance bureau spokesperson said Indi was under pressure after legal proceedings to declare him proclaimed offender (PO) were started in the court, and the next date of hearing was fixed for January 4. He will be produced in competent court on Tuesday.
The spokesperson further informed that during the probe and material evidence, it came to light that Indi was working as PA to Bharat Bhushan Ashu.
On August 24, 2022, the vigilance bureau received information that after the arrest of Bharat Bhushan Ashu, accused Inderjit Indi had received a bag containing jewellery, documents and other things from an unknown person, who brought it from Ashu’s house on August 22, 2022. After taking this bag, Indi left for an unknown place to hide it. He was captured in the CCTVs while taking away the bag. After verification, Indi was nominated as an accused on August 26, 2022, the spokesperson said.
Indi had approached the Supreme Court for bail in the case, but his application was dismissed.
Earlier on December 16, 2022, Pankaj Meenu Malhotra, another PA to Ashu, had surrendered before the vigilance bureau.
On August 16, 2022, the vigilance bureau registered a case against the partners of Gurdas Ram and Company, officials of the state food and civil supplies department, and employees of concerned procurement agencies for 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 vigilance bureau police station in Ludhiana.