Chandigarh man arrested in guava orchard scam case

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has arrested a Chandigarh resident in the alleged Rs 137-crore guava orchard compensation scam case involving the acquisition of land for Aerotropolis township project of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) at Bakarpur village here.

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The accused, identified as Sukhdev, had allegedly fraudulently received about Rs 12 crore in compensation in his own and his wife’s accounts in collusion with government officials and others.

The Vigilance said he played an active role in the alleged criminal conspiracy, indulging in cheating, forgery and falsification of records, thereby causing loss to the exchequer while obtaining illicit financial gains through bribery.

Sukhdev had been evading legal proceedings and was non-cooperative during the investigation, the bureau said. So far, 23 persons, including seven government officials, have been arrested in the case. The bureau alleged that to claim illegal compensation for guava orchards during the land acquisition process for the Aerotropolis project, Sukhdev purchased 3 kanals and 16 marlas in Bakarpur.

Later, he allegedly conspired with the prime accused, Bhupinder Singh, a resident of Bakarpur, to falsely establish the presence of fruit bearing guava orchard on his land in connivance with the horticulture development officer.