Five arrested ETOs sent to five-day police remand

Five arrested ETOs sent to five-day police remand

Harshabab Sidhu
Nabaz-e-Punjab, Mohali, August 22:
In a major crackdown to curb tax evasion the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) today booked 12 officials of the excise and taxation department along with four private persons. In this regard the VB has registered two cases against the accused under sections of 429, 465, 467, 471, 120-B of the Indian Penal Code including Sections 7, 7A and 8 of the Excise Act at Vigilance Bureau Flying Squad-1 police station at Mohali.
The arrested persons were produced before a local court today which sent them to five-day police remand.
AIG Vigilance Bureau Ashish Kapoor said that on the directions of the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, a campaign has been launched by the Bureau to curb tax evasion in the state. He informed that officials of the excise and taxation department in connivance with private transporters were hand in glove to get bribes and government exchequer was being duped. In this major operation, the VB has registered two cases against these officials and private transporters vis-a-vis arrested some of the culprits.
AIG added that Varun Nagpal E.T.O. Muktsar, Satpal Multani E.T.O. Faridkot, Kalicharan E.T.O. Shambhu (Mobile Wing), Japsimran Singh E.T.O. Amritsar, Ram Kumar Inspector Jalandhar and Shiv Kumar (Munshi) Somnath Transport were among the culprits who were arrested today in these two cases.
He further informed that in first case, D.E.T.C. Simran Brar, Ved Prakash Jakhar E.T.O. Fazilka, Satpal Multani E.T.O. Faridkot, Kali Charan E.T.O. Mobile Wing Chandigarh at Shambhu, Varun Nagpal E.T.O. Muktsar, Ravinandan E.T.O. Fazilka, Piyara Singh E.T.O Moga and Vijay Kumar Prashar, residents of Adarsh Colony, Khanna, District Ludhiana were involved. In the second case, Sushil Kumar E.T.O. Amritsar (now Patiala), Dinesh Gaud E.T.O. Amritsar, Jap Simran Singh E.T.O. Amritsar, Lakhbeer Singh E.T.O. Mobile Wing Amritsar, Ram Kumar Inspector, Somnath Transporter of Phagwara, Shiv Kumar Munshi and Pawan Kumar were involved.
Revealing the modus operandi Ashish Kapoor informed that Bureau has received information that Vijay Kumar, of Khanna, was doing transport business in Ludhiana and Khanna cities. He in connivance with officials of excise and taxation department was transporting goods of various traders from other states to Punjab and sent them out of Punjab by paying less or no tax.
He further revealed that Vijay Kumar also prepared fake bills for tax evasion which were usually ignored by the officials of the department during the checking and in return officials got large sums of money in the form of bribes from Vijay Kumar every month which caused huge financial losses to the state exchequer. The Vigilance Bureau today carried out this operation on the basis of conversations between Vijay Kumar and Government officials.
AIG said during the investigation it was came to light that Vijay Kumar used various mobile phones to inform officials of the excise and taxation department posted at Ferozepur, Fazilka, Moga and Faridkot about bribe amount paid to them. During this probe, it was found that he also took the names of various officials and employees of the department during his phone call conversations and also keeping this data in his computer.
He added that during the investigation of Vijay Kumar, the name of Sri Sai Transport owner Shinda Prasher was also came to light. He has also paid lakhs of rupees as bribe to the officials of the Excise and Taxation department to get his goods transported to Jalandhar and other places with the help of fake bills. In this cases further investigations are in progress and the culprits involved in this racket would not be spared.
Defense counsel, Advocate Vishal Garg Narwana argued before the court that the private transporters were under surveillance since March 22 and police were knowing the name of the officials of state taxation department then why police did not put the mobile numbers of officials or no effort was laid down to stop the alleged corruption. He added now after 6 months the police are lodging the FIR and are relying the conversation dated March 22 of two unknown people. At that time there was curfew in the whole nation. So there was no occasion of transportation of goods, said the defense counsel.
After hearing the arguments of both the sides, Mohali court sent the arrested persons to five-day police remand.