Raj Jit Hundal booked by Vigilance Bureau for graft

In the case registered at its police station in Mohali, the bureau has booked Raj Jit under section 13(1)(b) (a public servant is said to commit the offence of criminal misconduct if he intentionally enriches himself illicitly during the period of his office), and 13 (2) (any public servant who commits criminal misconduct) of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act 2018.

Raj Jit is currently on the run and a look out circular has been issued against him.

STF Additional Director General of Police, R K Jaiswal, said raids were being conducted to nab Raj Jit. The ADGP added that police teams so far have conducted raids at the accused policeman’s house in Dasuya in Mohali, where he was not found.

The Vigilance Bureau FIR against Raj Jit reproduced parts of the SIT report dated May 8, 2018, in which the accused policeman and his family members have been accused of buying and selling six properties in the course of five years.

The FIR read, “Evaluation reports received from the Income Tax Department, in respect of several immovable properties mentioned in the SIT report, reveal that the actual value of the properties are far higher than the value reflected in the sale deeds.”

Referring to the SIT report which recommended further investigation into the properties of the dismissed officer and his family members, the FIR read, “Huge amounts were mobilised as loans/gifts by Raj Jit Singh during the relevant period (2013 to 2018)” and that “financial capacity of those individuals who had given such loans/gifts is required to be investigated”.

Three sealed cover reports, regarding the role of police officials in the drug trade in the state, were opened by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on March 28. These reports were submitted in 2018 by a three-member panel comprising then DGP (HRD) S Chattopadhayaya, then Bureau of Investigation director Prabodh Kumar and then IG (Anti-Terrorism Squad) Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who is now an AAP legislator.

The SIT formed in 2017 had the mandate to probe allegations of complicity of Raj Jit Singh, the then senior superintendent of police, Moga, in respect to his alleged association with dismissed Inspector Inderjit Singh. Inderjit was dismissed from service following the recovery of drugs by the STF in 2017.

While directing DGP to include the name of Raj Jit in the FIR, which was registered against Inderjit, the Punjab Home Department has also directed the state police chief to depute a senior IPS officer to “examine the role of all police officers, howsoever highly placed they may be, who have directly or indirectly helped in drug trafficking/smuggling” and conclude investigations within a month and submit the report.”