CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has made a significant breakthrough by arresting Gulshan Jain, a proclaimed offender (PO) linked to the multi-crore paddy scam exposed in Amritsar district. Gulshan Jain had been declared proclaimed offender by the court in 2019.
An official spokesperson of VB disclosed today that Gulshan Jain, a resident of Jandiala in Amritsar district, was arrested in connection with case FIR No. 44, dated 05.04.2018. This case was registered under various sections of the IPC, including 406, 409, 420, 467, 468, 471, and 120-B, as well as under section 13 (1) (D) read with 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, at the Police Station in Jandiala Guru (Amritsar Rural).
He further stated that the case had been registered against 10 accused individuals, including the Directors/Owners of the Veeru Mal Mulkh Raj Rice Mill, who are family members of Gulshan Jain. Additionally, officials from the Department of Punjab Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs were also booked for their alleged involvement in the misappropriation and pilferage of paddy allotted to the mill by state government procurement agencies, amounting to approximately Rs 33.6 crores.
The spokesperson informed that the accused DFSO Raminder Singh Bath, AFSO Ms. Vipan Sharma, Inspector Gurjinder Kumar, Statistic Technical Assistant (STA) Parminder Singh Bhatia and DFSC Amritpal Singh have already been arrested and a challan has also been presented in the concerned court against them.
He also mentioned that the Directors/Owners of the Mill had also allegedly defrauded the Punjab National Bank in Jandiala Guru for approximately Rs. 200 crores. The investigation of the case was handed over to the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on 24.04.2018. Currently, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Vigilance Bureau is conducting further investigations under the supervision of the Additional Inspector General (AIG) of the Economic Offences Wing (EoW) in Mohali.
Five of the accused, including Gulshan Jain, had been declared proclaimed offenders (PO) by the competent court in 2019.
While setting aside his proclamation and Look Out Circular (LOC) on 03.07.2024, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered Gulshan Jain to surrender before the concerned court on or before 30.09.2024. In compliance with the High Court's orders, the office of AIG, EoW, Punjab, provided intimation regarding this matter to the Director Bureau of Immigration, he added.
Meanwhile, the accused Gulshan Jain was arrested by the CBI from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, New Delhi in connection with other cases registered against him by the agency. The spokesperson said that the Vigilance Bureau (VB), after obtaining his production warrant, arrested him in the aforementioned case on Thursday. The Court has granted a 5-day police remand of the accused.