CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Tuesday has arrested Vikas Verma, son of Girish Verma, a sacked Executive Officer (EO), of Local Bodies department Punjab, who was absconding in a disproportionate assets case registered against him, his father and others. The Mohali court has granted his police remand for 3 days to the VB.
Disclosing this here today an official spokesperson of the state VB said in this case Girish Verma and his three accomplices namely - Sanjiv Kumar, a resident of Kharar, Pawan Kumar Sharma resident of Panchkula, a coloniser, and Gaurav Gupta, ex-Municipal Councilor Kurali had already been arrested by the VB.
Giving more details he informed that in this regard the VB had registered a case FIR no. 18 in the year 2022 for accumulating disproportionate assets against Girish Verma and others. During investigation it was found that Girish Verma had purchased 19 prime residential/commercial properties in the names of his wife Sangeeta Verma and his son Vikas Verma.
He further revealed that said accused Girish Verma had remained posted as EO in the Municipal Councils of Zirakpur, Kharar, Kurali, Derabassi etc. and used to pass on wrongful benefits to the local builders/developers and in lieu of that he obtained illicit money in the form of bank entries in the names of his wife and son from the accounts of the said builders as unsecured loans. Further, this money was utilised to purchase properties. Vikas Verma and Sangeeta Verma did not have any lawful source of income other than rent from properties purchased with tainted money, he added.
The spokesperson informed that the said Vikas Verma had became partner in year 2019-20 in the real estate firms - 'Balaji Infra Buildtech' and 'Balaji Developers' by laundering black money of his father and changing its colour by availing bank entries as unsecured loans from other partners in these firms and returning money to them in cash.
Revealing the modus operandi, he said Vikas Verma's partners, now co-accused in this case namely- Sanjiv Kumar, Gaurav Gupta and Ashish Sharma, all residents of Kurali, indulged in fraudulent activities by preparing antedated agreements to sell of plots and getting residential colonies regularised in a clandestine manner.
He added that the accused Gaurav Gupta was founder of these firms and a major partner, having 80 percent share, in Balaji Infra Buildtech, who had invested crores of rupees as his shares alongside other partners to purchase agricultural land in Kharar and then unlawfully got residential colony regularised on this land. Thereafter, 15 percent of his share was finally transferred to the accused Vikas Verma, son of Girish Verma.
He informed that anticipatory bail of Vikas Verma were earlier dismissed by the High Court. Thereafter, Mohali court has declared Vikas Verma as Proclaimed Offender and fearing his impending arrest by the VB, he has surrendered before the court today. Further investigation into this case was under progress.-