The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) arrested Pinder Sodhi, a resident of Chabbewal town in Hoshiarpur district, on Thursday. He, along with his accomplices, had been declared proclaimed offenders for obtaining two cheques amounting to Rs 25 lakhs from farmers by posing as vigilance officials.
Disclosing this here today, an official spokesperson of the state VB said that this case was registered by complainant Palwinder Singh, a resident of village Bhaini Salu, police station Koom Kalan, Ludhiana district. The complainant had informed that he had sold 18 acres of his ancestral land. Thereafter, he received a notice regarding the sale of panchayat land, following which, three unknown persons came to his house on August 12, 2023, and introduced themselves as officers from the Vigilance Department at Sector-17, Chandigarh.
The complainant alleged that they demanded Rs 50 lakhs from him to sort out the matter of selling panchayat land, claiming that an inquiry was pending at the Chandigarh office, otherwise, a fraud case would be registered against him. In fear, the complainant agreed to pay Rs 25 lakhs, and the accused impersonators convinced him to sign two cheques of Rs 15 lakhs and Rs 10 lakhs with a guarantee to return them once they received Rs 25 lakhs in cash. He further added that one of the accused persons also took Rs 27,000 from his pocket and went away after getting his phone number.
The spokesperson informed that thereafter, the complainant had received threatening calls on his WhatsApp for the registration of a criminal case against him if he failed to give the promised Rs 25 lakhs in cash. In this regard, FIR No 20 dated 28.8.2023 under sections 7, 7-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act and 384, 120-B of IPC was registered against Manjeet Singh of village Bhaini Salu and four other unknown persons at VB Police Station, Ludhiana range. He further added that in this case, accused Manjeet Singh and Paramjeet Singh of village Mehlon, tehsil Samrala, and Parminder Singh, a resident of Akash Colony, Hoshiarpur city, had already been arrested. But the main accused, Pinder Sodhi, and Hardip Singh, a resident of Khamano town, were absconding and had been declared PO (Proclaimed Offenders) by the court in January this year.
The spokesperson informed that while making extraordinary efforts, the main accused Pinder Sodhi was arrested from a park in the area of sector 32, Near BCM School, Chandigarh road, Ludhiana city, as he unsuccessfully tried to escape in his Maruti Swift Car PB-07CD-2603. He informed that during the search of the said car of the accused, many logos of the Human Rights Commission had been recovered, besides three mobile phones, a driving license of the UAE country, Indian currency notes, along with 305 Dirham currency notes, had also been recovered from him.
The accused Pinder Sodhi would be produced in the competent court tomorrow, and further investigation into this case was underway, he added.