VB team stayed at Saini’s home for 18 hrs, took away documents

CHANDIGARH: A day after registering a fresh disproportionate assets (DA) case against Punjab ex-DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, the vigilance continued with its operation at the cop’s house in Sector 20 till Tuesday afternoon, after an 18-hour search. Saini’s house had been raided on Monday evening, and sources said the vigilance team had taken away documents related to the case. Besides Saini, seven others also face a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act

Before raiding Saini’s house, the vigilance team was ‘almost sure’ about his presence inside the house. A special technical team has been roped in to analyse CCTV footage and check how and when he left the house.

In addition to Saini, the vigilance has named Nimratdeep Singh, an executive engineer with the public works department; Surinderjit Singh Jaspal, Ajay Kaushal, Parduman Singh, Paramjit Singh and Amit Singla in the FIR.

In addition to offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, Saini and the others have also been booked under Section 109 (punishment of abetment ) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC. Saini is the seventh accused in the FIR of disproportionate assets registered against Nimratdeep and others. A senior vigilance officer said during the inquiry pertaining to possession of DA by XEN Nimratdeep Singh, it was found that Saini had transferred a sum of ₹ 6.4 crore to the father of Nimratdeep from August 2018 to 2020, without any receipt or purpose. When Nimratdeep’s father was called to explain this , a fraudulent agreement was prepared projecting that the money was being paid for the purchase of house number 3048, Sector 20-D, Chandigarh, the house where Saini is presently residing.

“This is despite the fact that Saini was earlier projected to be a tenant. In this manner, he in pursuance of a criminal conspiracy with Nimratdeep, transferred money in the account of Nimratdeep’s father thereby abetting his undue and illegal enrichment of Nimratdeep beyond known sources of income,” he claimed.

Notably, the vigilane Bureau had registered a case against World Wide Immigration Consultancy Services Estates Pvt Ltd, Nimratdeep Singh and Surinderjit Singh Jaspal on September 17 2020, under Sections of IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act for getting agriculture land, including the area lying in a natural choe, certified as a regular residential colony.

Meanwhile, the high court on Tuesday directed Punjab Police to give seven days’ prior notice in case Saini is sought to be arrested in the 2015 Kotkapura violence case.