Chandigarh: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has intensified its probe against former Congress minister Balbir Singh Sidhu and his brother Amarjit Singh alias Jeeti, who is the mayor of Mohali Municipal Corporation, in a disproportionate assets case.
The vigilance had opened an inquiry against Mayor Jeeti on January 19. The Vigilance has not only prepared a list of benami properties named by the Mayor of Mohali, but has also collected facts such as land grabbing, irregularities in development works carried out by the Mohali Municipal Corporation and other facts, sources in the vigilance department said.
Vigilance sources said that the government had given the green signal in November to investigate against the Sidhu brothers. Soon after, an inquiry was initiated against former minister Balbir Singh Sidhu and Mayor Jeeti.
Vigilance officials say that the Sidhu brothers misused their official position to create properties in Chandigarh including Mohali, Ropar, Barnala and Bathinda districts. When the Aam Aadmi Party came to power in Punjab, Balbir Singh Sidhu and his mayor brother joined Bharatiya Janata Party. Vigilance launches probe against third former minister who quit Congress to join BJP.
Earlier, Sham Sunder Arora has been arrested by the Vigilance and a similar investigation is being carried out by the Vigilance against former Minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar.
In the preliminary report of the Vigilance, the properties and properties created by Balbir Singh Sidhu and his family members include land in Bathinda, Barnala and Ropar districts along with a share in three SCO numbers 33, 34 and 35 in Sector 34 of Chandigarh, 68 acres of land shared in the name of Mayor Bhai in village Manakmajra in Mohali.
The report also mentions that there are half a dozen expensive cars. The vigilance report also mentions transactions worth crores of rupees through bank accounts of various banks.
Referring to Amarjit Singh Jiti in the vigilance report, it has been written that the house has been prepared by installing bullet proof mirrors by taking a residential plot of 1000 square yards in Sector 78.
Industrial plots were cut in 100 to 125 acres of land in SCO and Dairi village in Sector 80 of Mohali. The vigilance report in Mohali has alleged that the municipal corporation was financially cheated while laying the sewerage pipe from Phase 11 to Phase 5. The report mentions land in Bariali, Mullanpur Garibdas and Kurdi villages of Mohali district.
Mayor Jeeti is also owned a Land Cruiser and Fortuner worth a total of Rs 1 crore. Vigilance officials say that the bank account details and other details of the Sidhu brothers and their family members are being collected.