MOHALI: The Punjab vigilance Bureau has arrested Vishal Chauhan Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer posted as Conservator Forests Punjab from Mohali on Thursday. He will be produced in the court on Friday, said the vigilance sleuths.
Vishal Chauhan's name has been mentioned in the FIR in which vigilance busted the forest scam with the arrest of Guramanpreet Singh, DFO and contractor Harmahinder Singh alias Hummy for demanding and accepting bribe from WWICS owner Devinder Singh Sandhu.
Vishal Chauhan has been arrested for being conspirator and director for registering an FIR against Baljit Singh Sandhu and Devinder Singh Sandhu in lieu of settling a complaint registered by them through Ranjodh Singh, Range Officer, for allegedly causing damage to natural flora and fauna.
Davinder Singh Sandhu had recorded the entire conversation while handing over the above-mentioned amount to Guramanpreet Singh and Harmahinder Singh, who also told him that they would apprise him of the remaining amount after discussing details of this project with Vishal Chauhan, Conservator Forests.
Later, they told Davinder Singh Sandhu to initially give an amount of Rs one crore with successive monthly installments of Rs 10 lakh as well as Rs 5 lakh in the subsequent sale of land. However, Davinder Singh Sandhu refused to bribe and registered tha case through Anti-Corruption Helpline.
Later, Vishal Chauhan and Guramanpreet Singh, in connivance with their subordinates, registered FIR on May 9, 2022, under section 4,5 PLP Act, 1900 against Baljit Singh Sandhu and others at Naya Gaon Police Station, District Mohali. Vishal Chauhan thereafter also asked his subordinates for addition of sections in the case as well as nomination of Davinder Singh Sandhu therin. He also wrote a typed complaint in this regard.
Owing to his complicity in the matter through the afore-mentioned sequence of events and documentary evidence that came up during investigation, Vishal Chauhan was also nominated in the above-mentioned case and has been arrested.
Davinder Singh Sandhu, son of Baljit Singh Sandhu, owns about 100 acres of land in the name of his company at Masol and Tanda villages in Sub-Tehsil Majri, District Mohali, some part of which comes under Section 4 of PLPA Act, 1900 where they had set up a farm house.
