Land Acquisition: Patwari among 8 land in Punjab Vigilance Bureau net over multi-crore compensation fraud

Chandigarh, May 2

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) today claimed to have unearthed a scam worth crores of rupees with the arrest of eight suspects, including a revenue official, for receiving compensation on forged documents during land acquisition by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) in connivance with officials of state Horticulture and Revenue departments from 2016 to 2020.

A VB spokesperson said an FIR was registered today under Sections 409, 420, 465, 466, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC and 13(1) (a), 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act at the VB Police Station, Flying Squad-1, Punjab, at Mohali.

Main suspect Bhupinder Singh, a resident of Bakarpur, Mohali, along with Mukesh Jindal, his wife Shaman Jindal and Praveen Lata, all residents of Model Town, Bathinda; Vishal Bhandari, a resident of Sector 40, Chandigarh; Sukhdev Singh, a resident of Bakarpur; Binder Singh, a resident of Sector 79, Mohali; and Bachitar Singh, patwari, Revenue Halka Bakarpur (now kanungo), Mohali, have been arrested.

Besides, Horticulture Department officials Jaspreet Singh, Vaishali, Dinesh Kumar, Rashmi Arora and Anil Arora, and some private individuals were yet to be arrested and more revelations were expected in the case once these 10 were arrested.

The spokesperson said during investigation of a complaint, the VB found in 2016, GMADA had published notices in Mohali for acquisition of land in various villages and issued notifications under Section 4 in 2017 and Section 19 in 2020.

Bhupinder, a property dealer, in connivance with employees of GMADA, Revenue and Horticulture departments, along with associates Anil Jindal, Mukesh Jindal and Bhandari, allegedly started planting guava orchards on the agricultural land by getting it on general power of attorney, he added.

The suspects prepared a fake girdawari register in 2019 in collusion with the patwari Bachitar Singh in which they obtained compensation worth crores of rupees illegally by showing ownership of guava orchards on the land since 2016.

During probe, it was found Bhupinder took Rs 24 crore in compensation for guava plantations for himself and his family. Similarly, Mukesh Jindal, a resident of Bathinda, allegedly defrauded the government by taking around Rs 20 crore in compensation.

Besides, several other persons took compensation worth crores of rupees from the government illegally by showing guava orchards on their land, thus causing loss of crores of rupees to the exchequer.

Further investigation was under way and the remaining suspects would be arrested soon, said the spokesperson.

Relief taken from GMADA in lieu of orchards

• In 2016, GMADA publishes notices in Mohali for land acquisition in villages; issues notifications under Section 4 in 2017 and Section 19 in 2020
• Property dealer Bhupinder Singh in cahoots with GMADA, Revenue & Horticulture officials plants orchards after getting land on general power of attorney
• In 2019, he & aides prepare fake girdawari register in collusion with patwari Bachitar Singh and get relief by showing ownership of orchards since 2016
• Bhupinder takes Rs 24 cr in relief, while another gets Rs 20 cr in compensation, says VB probe