Prime suspect in AIT scam arrested

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 23

The prime suspect in the Rs 80 crore public money scam, Daman Bhalla, Deputy Controller, Finance and Accounts (DCFA), Amritsar Improvement Trust, was arrested by the Civil Lines police here today. He had come to meet his mother at his home in Shastri Nagar on Lawrence Road.

He was among the seven AIT officials whose name had figured during the investigation by the Chief Vigilance Office of the Local Bodies Department. The city police have registered a case against these Estate Officers: Arvind Sharma, DC Garg and Paramjit Singh, Tina Vohra, CA Sanjay Kapoor and bill clerk Satnam Singh.

SHO, Civil Lines police station, Shivdarshan Singh confirmed the arrest. He said Bhalla was arrested this evening when he was going to meet his mother. He would be produced in the court tomorrow.

As per the modus operandi, the accused used to deposit money pertaining to the Improvement Trust in fake bank accounts, opened in the name of the trust. They would then withdraw the amount on the pretext of spending it on various works such as disbursal of salaries and other “public-friendly” tasks.

According to Chief Vigilance Officer Sudip Singh Manak, the money was withdrawn in a fraudulent manner from around 70 bank accounts by issuing 49 cheques, DDs and pay orders since 2013. The money was transferred by the accused in their family members’ accounts. Many bank accounts were not even entered in the cash book of the department.