PDD meter reader, who owned a banquet hall, a Gym and an Audi booked on charges of corruption
Jammu: A meter reader in Jammu and Kashmir’s Power Development Department, who owned a banquet hall, a Gym, construction business and an Audi among other immoveable and moveable properties, was on Tuesday booked by Anti-Corruption Bureau under various provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act and Ranbir Penal Code.
Identified as Surinder Singh, his wife Meenakshi Bandral and son Kunal Bandral were also booked by the ACB. This followed searches on the premises of all the accused persons, an official statement here said, adding that incriminating documents and articles have been seized from there and these are under scrutiny.
The bank accounts of the accused and his family members area are being scrutinized for further flow of accounts in them and also for presence of lockers maintained by them.
Posted as PDD’s meter reader in posh Gandhi Nagar area, Surinder Singh and his family owned 7.8 acres of land in various parts of Jammu, a banquet hall under the name of Oasis Farms, a Gym and a construction business in the name and style of MK Building Materials and Constructions. Apart from this, he also had moveable properties including an Audi car, two Scorpios, one tractor and a motor cycle, statement added.
The searches had followed a verification conducted by ACB into the allegations that one Surinder Singh of Upper Thathar area in Jammu district had amassed huge movable and immovable properties worth crore of rupees in his own name and in the names of his family members which were highly disproportionate to his known sources of income. Accordingly an FIR No. 01/2021 was registered under Section 5(1) (e) read with section 5(2) Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 109, 120-B of Ranbir Penal Code Surinder Singh, his son Kunal Singh and wife Meenakshi Bandral and others.
A preliminary assessment of the both immovable and moveable assets had revealed that the accused Surinder Singh Meter Reader, PDD Department and his family members were in possession of assets worth Rs. 2.37 crores which were highly disproportionate to their known sources of income. In order to avoid scrutiny before the eyes of law the assets were disguised in the names of the accused’s wife and son.
It was also shown that the wife was running a construction business whereas verification has revealed that she does not possess enough resources to create so many assets, the statement said. The verification had also revealed that the construction business was only an eye wash to disguise the unaccounted money which was pumped into creation of the immoveable and moveable assets, it said, adding further investigations in the matter were in progress.
