Police begin probe after PO escapes

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 14

The police have started investigation into the case of the ‘proclaimed offender’, who was the driver of the Budhlada Congress candidate and managed to escape yesterday in Mansa after the Ludhiana police conducted a raid and nabbed him.

The accused PO Parvesh Malhotra of Ludhiana was booked in a cheque bounce case. He was with Congress candidate Ranjit Kaur Bhatti in a car while she was going to a village in Budhlada for campaigning.

As per sources, the Election commission has also taken notice of the case as the PO was accompanying the Congress candidate, who allegedly helped the accused to escape.

Bhatti, along with the PO, reached Malkon village for campaigning yesterday when a policeman from Ludhiana, Jagjit Singh, conducted a raid and arrested Parvesh Malhotra.

However, a few minutes later, some Congressmen jumped into the melee and one of them snatched the warrant from Jagjit Singh. Meanwhile, the PO managed to escape with the handcuffs.

Sources said Parvesh Malhotra was booked in many cases and had been staying in the house of Congress candidate Bhatti for a long time.

Ranjit Kaur Bhatti is the wife of former SSP Sukhdev Singh Bhatti.

Booked by the Ludhiana police on the basis of a complaint by Tagore Nagar (Ludhiana) resident Inder Singh Diwan, under Section 138 of the IPC, Parvesh was declared PO in a cheque bounce case since December 12, 2016, while the arrest warrant was issued by a Ludhiana court on January 11 this year.

Budhlada DSP Gurpreet Singh said, “Yesterday, we registered a case under Sections 353, 186, 173 and 224 of the Indian Penal Code against Parvesh Malhotra. Besides his search, we are investigating into the case to see the involvement of others.”

Meanwhile, Ranjit Kaur Bhatti got admitted to the Mansa Civil Hospital claiming that she was attacked. She refused to talk to the media saying that she would later hold a press conference. She denied any acquaintance with Parvesh Kumar.

Dr Manav Jindal, who is treated Ranjit Kaur Bhatti, said there was no injury on her arm as doctors conducted her X-ray and she was stable.

“There is no fracture or other injury but the patient is complaining of pain,” he said.