Ludhiana, May 18
The name of Bharat Inder Singh Chahal, high profile media advisor to former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, has propped up in the multi-crore City Centre Scam with the Vigilance Bureau recording the statement of two persons, who claimed that Chahal took kickbacks in this and other mega projects and sent the amount abroad through his trusted broker, Chetan Gupta.

The officials claimed in a local court today that the bureau had recorded the statement of a Ludhiana-based property dealer, Jatinder Singh of Deep Estate Deals, who had claimed that he had given Rs 1 lakh to Chetan at Chahal’s residence in Patiala.

He said he gave the money at the behest of Chahal for getting a lucrative site in the city centre project. But, neither any site was booked nor money any refunded. Rather, Chahal threatened to face dire consequences, when he demanded back the money.

The statement made by Jatinder Singh to the bureau officials further claimed that Chahal boasted to Jatinder about the power and influence of Chetan by saying that he was instrumental in brokering several mega project deals and also arranged sending of Chahal’s money abroad through Hawala transactions. He also claimed that Chahal had told him that Chetan was sending the money of Capt Amarinder Singh to foreign countries in similar fashion.

Chetan Gupta, arrested from Delhi yesterday, was further remanded in one-day police custody by Judicial Magistrate Kuldeep Singh. Gupta is considered to be a close friend of Raninder Singh, son of Capt Amarinder Singh. His name had also figured in the controversial Volcker controversy and IntraNet scam.

Special Public Prosecutors-M.L.Solanki and Ashwani Bedi- had stressed that the accused had acted as a “conduit” in almost all “mega projects” passed by the previous Congress regime, including the city centre project.

The police remand for 14 days was sought by them on the ground of enquiring into the benami properties allegedly purchased by him for the Chahal and Capt Amarinder in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand and in several foreign countries. Apart from it they wanted to recover the amount of Rs 1 lakh received by accused at Chahal’s residence, special public prosecutors added. They claimed that as per the documents gathered during investigations, Chetan was benami partner of Today Homes Company. He was also to be interrogated for knowing all these things.

Well-placed sources said Jatinder Singh had also made statement before the bureau that Chahal had confessed before him that former Chief Minister and he had received crores of rupees through Gupta. Bureau has also recorded that the statement of one Sewa Singh, resident of Ranjit Nagar, Patiala, which connects Chahal with Chetan.

However, the defence counsel opposed the grant of police remand. He said his client was general selling agent of Kuwait Airways. He has nothing to do with the property transactions. He was being harassed just due to his cordial relationship with the Amarinder Singh’s family.