Hours after joining BJP, Kharar realtor Ranjit Gill's house, office raided by Punjab vigilance

Hours after Gillco Valley realtor Ranjit Singh Gill joined the BJP, Punjab Vigilance Bureau officials raided his residence in Chandigarh and his office in Kharar on Saturday morning.

There was heavy police presence outside Gill’s Gillco Valley office in Kharar, while a Vigilance Bureau team was stationed at his residence in Sector 2, Chandigarh.

Gill remained unavailable for comment, but his close associates confirmed the raids, describing them as “a political vendetta.”

Although VB remained tight-lipped about the proceedings, AAP leaders linked the raids with SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia's case.

According to BJP sources, Gill was allegedly pressured to join the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which led to his sudden, late-night switch to the BJP on Friday.

“That is why he joined BJP abruptly. And by morning, the Vigilance Bureau was at his door,” said a BJP leader who was present during Gill’s induction into the party at Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini’s official residence in Chandigarh.

Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar said, "The timing of the VB raid on Gill reflects the arrogance of AAP government. It is unacceptable to this government, which has morphed into land mafia, how a builder can chart his own political journey. These coercive tactics by the government show its intent, and are against the principles of democracy."

Local BJP leaders said Gill, a former Shiromani Akali Dal leader, is a strong contender for the party ticket from the Kharar Assembly seat in the next elections.

The realtor-turned-politician had contested the 2017 and 2022 Assembly elections from the Kharar constituency but lost to AAP’s Anmol Gagan Maan by a wide margin in 2022.

A close confidant of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, Gill was reportedly upset over recent appointments of party office-bearers in his area and parted ways with the SAD on July 12.

VB uncovers transactions to firms linked with Bikram Singh Majithia

Searches were carried by the Vigilance Bureau on Saturday at three premises linked to Gillco Developers. It has uncovered details of suspicious financial transactions running into crores between Gillco Developers and entities linked with Bikram Singh Majithia.

A spokesperson of the State Vigilance Bureau stated that the searches were carried out in Punjab and Chandigarh. He added that after registration of FIR against Majithia, certain suspicious financial links and transactions between Gillco Developers and some of the entities had come to notice. These were developed in a meticulous manner by conducting investigations. To conduct further in-depth inquiries into these transactions and to gather relevant evidence, the Vigilance Bureau has conducted these searches in accordance with procedure established by law.

"Electronic devices and relevant documents were also seized during the searches," the spokesperson said.