Ludhiana streetlights grant embezzlement: Vigilance questions Cong leader Sandeep Sandhu for over three hours
Sandhu is currently Congress party's halqa incharge of Dakha. He is the ex-political secretary of former CM Captain Amarinder Singh. Sandhu contested twice from Dakha on Congress ticket but lost.
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The vigilance had booked Sandhu on October 4, 2022 in the alleged case of misappropriation of Rs 65 lakh government grant which was meant for installation of streetlights in 26 villages of Sidhwan Bet of Dakha sub-division of Ludhiana district. The economic offences wing of Ludhiana vigilance range questioned Punjab Congress leader Captain Sandeep Sandhu for over three hours at vigilance office in Ludhiana, Thursday, in the streetlights grant embezzlement case in which he was named as one of the accused.
On January 5, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had granted anticipatory bail to Sandhu on the condition that he will join investigation whenever the vigilance will summon him.
Speaking to the media outside the vigilance office, Sandhu said that he has full faith in country’s judicial system and he will report to the vigilance office as many times as he will be summoned.
Ludhiana vigilance SSP (economic offences wing) Suba Singh said that Sandhu and two other persons — Harpreet and Gaurav — were questioned for over three hours related to streetlights grant embezzlement case.
The vigilance had booked Sandhu on October 4, 2022 in the alleged case of misappropriation of Rs 65 lakh government grant which was meant for installation of streetlights in 26 villages of Sidhwan Bet of Dakha sub-division of Ludhiana district.
Sandhu is currently Congress party’s halqa incharge of Dakha. He is the ex-political secretary of former CM Captain Amarinder Singh. Sandhu contested twice from Dakha on Congress ticket but lost.
Vigilance has claimed that the payments for streetlights were released to a private firm even as lights were not installed in the villages. Also, the lights were purchased at inflated rates than the approved rates.
The vigilance had also arrested three Punjab government officials — Satwinder Singh Kang, block development and panchayat officer (BDPO), Lakhwinder Singh, block samiti chairman and Teja Singh, village development officer (VDO) in this case. Three others booked in the case included — Sandhu, Gaurav Sharma, proprietor, M/s Amar Electrical Enterprises and one Harpreet Singh (said to be Sandhu’s aide).
The vigilance has informed a local Ludhiana court that an FIR for alleged corruption was registered “against Satwinder Singh Kang, BDPO, Sidhwan Bet and Gaurav Sharma, proprietor, M/s Amar Electrical Enterprises, Nabha for connivance in misappropriation of Rs 65 lakh grant in installation of streetlights in 26 villages of Sidhwan Bet. The BDPO had approved the quotation of M/s Amar Electrical Enterprises for installation of streetlights in Sidhwan Bet even before passage of a resolution by the Panchayat Samiti and later released a payment of Rs 60 lakh..”
The vigilance further submitted, “During investigation, Kang who was arrested in the case on September 27, made a disclosure statement that the amount for installation of streetlights in villages was released at the behest of Captain Sandeep Sandhu. He stated that he was asked by accused Harpreet Singh to meet Sandhu at his rented house (Villa 48, Janpath Villas, Ludhiana), where Sandhu insisted upon him to immediately release the amount of Rs 65 lakh without waiting for any formality.”
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