FIVE ACCUSED ARRESTED SO FAR, ONE ACCUSED ABSCONDING

Chandigarh, March 8 – The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested Pooja Rani Wife of accused Hardeep Singh, who along with five other accused had been collecting money from different persons by posing as vigilance and CBI officials. She was produced in the court and sent for two days police remand for further investigation into the case.

Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson of the state VB said that four accomplices of Pooja Rani had already been arrested in this for getting two cheques amounting to Rs 25 lakhs from a farmer threatening him to involve in a false case by posing as vigilance officials from Chandigarh office. In this case, accused Manjeet Singh and Paramjeet Singh of village Mehlon, tehsil Samrala, Parminder Singh, a resident of Akash Colony, Hoshiarpur, Pinder Sodhi, Pinder Sodhi, a resident of Chabbewal,  Hoshiarpur district are in judicial custody. One accused, Hardip Singh, a resident of Khamano town, in Fatehgarh Sahib district has been absconding.

He further informed that this case was registered by complainant Palwinder Singh, a resident of village Bhaini Salu, police station Koom Kalan, Ludhiana district. The complainant had informed that he had sold 18 acres of his ancestral land. Thereafter, he received a notice regarding the sale of panchayat land, following which, three unknown persons came to his house on August 12, 2023, and introduced themselves as officers from the Vigilance Department at Sector-17, Chandigarh.

The complainant alleged that they demanded Rs 50 lakhs from him to sort out the matter of selling panchayat land, claiming that an inquiry was pending at the Chandigarh office, otherwise, a fraud case would be registered against him. In fear, the complainant agreed to pay Rs 25 lakhs, and the accused impersonators convinced him to sign two cheques of Rs 15 lakhs and Rs 10 lakhs with a guarantee to return them once they received Rs 25 lakhs in cash. He further added that one of the accused had also took Rs 27,000 and went away after getting his phone number.

The spokesperson informed that thereafter, the complainant had received threatening calls on his WhatsApp for the registration of a criminal case against him if he failed to give the promised Rs 25 lakhs in cash. In this regard, FIR No 20 dated 28.8.2023 under sections 7, 7-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and 384, 120-B of IPC was registered at VB Police Station, Ludhiana range.

He further revealed that accused Pinder Sodhi has made certain disclosures about the modus operandi adopted by them to cheat the different persons as well as complainant of this case and with regard to the involvement of above said accused Pooja Rani and she was also nominated in this case as an accused. Since from the date of commission of crime of this case, Pooja Rani was staying in Delhi alongwith her husband Hardeep Singh who is absconding.

The spokesperson informed that after making extraordinary efforts accused Pooja Rani was arrested while roaming in a taxi near Ladhowal toll plaza, Ludhiana. The VB team has recovered two mobile phones and certain important documents from her possession related to case.

Mention ably, during investigation it has came to light that the above accused had extorted amount of Rs 52 lakh from one family of village Pehowa in Haryana state in June 2023 after conducting a raid at their premises by impersonating themselves as CBI officers.