Fake parking contract guarantee scam: Police file 2,500-page chargesheet against 7

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Chandigarh, June 2

The police have filed a 2,500-page chargesheet against seven accused in the alleged parking security scam worth crores that surfaced in February this year.

The chargesheet has been filed against Sanjay Sharma, Ravi Chandra Prakash, Ajay Kumar, Anil Kumar Sharma, Vikas Pandey, Anshul Mishra and Karan Sharma. It contains the statements of more than 30 witnesses, tender documents, bank statements and other evidence collected during the investigation over three months.

According to the chargesheet, the Municipal Corporation has allotted 57 parking lots for three years between 2020 and 2023 to a company, M/s Paschatya Entertainment Private Limited, on January 23, 2020. The company had submitted bank guarantees worth Rs 1.65 crore and the MC was authorised to encash these in case the company failed to pay the licence fee of Rs 7 crore. The company had also deposited 36 post-dated cheques for the purpose of recovery of penalty amount.

As per the FIR, registered on a complaint filed by the Superintendent, Parking, MC, when the company failed to pay the licence fee, the MC tried to encash the three guarantees from the bank in February 3, 2023, but the bank authorities informed it through email that no such bank guarantees were issued from this branch. The bank authorities said, “On verification of the bank record, it has been observed that no such bank guarantee has been issued from their branch. They will not be in a position to honour the request of invocation.” The chargesheet has been filed for the offences punishable under Section 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120 of the IPC against the accused. Those named in the chargesheet include the directors and employees of the company, and an employee of the bank.

During investigation, the police arrested Sanjay Sharma from his office in Delhi. The police alleged that Sanjay Sharma, in collaboration with Anil Kumar Sharma, applied for a parking contract of the MC, Chandigarh. A loan of Rs 5.5 crore from a bank of Delhi was raised by the accused through the company in 2019. The police alleged that the accused deposited three forged bank guarantees with the MC. The police also alleged that Anil Kumar Sharma was managing the parking lots of Chandigarh along with Sanjay Sharma.

Bank employeE named in FIR

Those named in the chargesheet include company directors and employees, and a banker. It contains the statements of more than 30 witnesses, tender documents, bank statements and other evidence collected during the investigation over three months.