Girish Verma's son Vikas Verma, staying abroad to evade arrest
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh, May 27-
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Monday has arrested Sanjiv Kumar, a resident of Kharar, for helping the former Executive Officer (EO) of Zirakpur Municipal Council Girish Verma in a case of amassing disproportionate assets. In this case Girish Verma was arrested by the VB in October 2022.
Revealing this here today, an official spokesperson of VB said Sanjiv Kumar, after dismissal of his anticipatory bail from the High Court, could not get any relief from the Supreme Court. The VB had already initiated proclamation proceedings against him in the court of CJM, Mohali.
He further informed that Sanjiv Kumar was arrested by a team of Flying Squad-I, Mohali and further investigation into his role would be conducted. Moreover, younger son of Girish Verma, namely Vikas Verma, who is staying abroad, was also found to have been received financial aid from some local builders and developers to which investigation was under progress.
He added that accused Girish Verma had remained posted as EO in the Municipal Councils of Zirakpur, Kharar, Kurali, Derabassi etc. and used to pass on wrongful benefits to the local builders/developers and in lieu of that he obtained illicit money in the form of bank entries in the names of his wife Sangeeta Verma and son Vikas Verma from the accounts of the said builders as unsecured loans.
Further, this money was utilised to purchase properties. Vikas Verma and Sangeeta Verma did not have any lawful source of income other than rent from properties purchased with tainted money.
Revealing the modus operandi he informed that during investigation it has came to light that Vikas Verma became partner in year 2019-20 in the two real estate firms ‘Balaji Infra Buildtech’ and ‘Balaji Developers’ by laundering black money of his father and changing its colour by availing bank entries as unsecured loans from other partners in the firms and returning money to them in cash. His co-accused partners Sanjiv Kumar from Kharar, Gaurav Gupta and Ashish Sharma, both residents of Kurali, indulged in fraudulent activities by preparing antedated agreements to sell of plots and getting residential colony regularised in a clandestine manner. Sanjiv Kumar was founder major partner having 50 percent share in ‘Balaji Infra Buildtech’ and invested Rs 2.30 crores (his share) alongside other partners to purchase agricultural land in Kharar and then unlawfully got residential colony regularised on this land. Thereafter, he resigned from the firm without taking any profit and 15 percent of his share was finally transferred to Vikas Verma through Gaurav Gupta.
The spokesperson further added that in this case another accused Pawan Kumar Sharma resident of Panchkula, a coloniser, had also been arrested in June 2023 for helping the former EO Girish Verma for amassing disproportionate assets.
He further informed that Pawan Kumar Sharma had helped Girish Verma in getting illicit enrichment by selling an Open Plinth (storage godown) situated on 5 acres of land at Village Khudal Kalan, Tehsil Bareta, in Mansa district having capacity of 25000MT by showing it as an agricultural land. This land was registered undervalued by Pawan Kumar who had been doing real estate business in the area of MC Zirakpur, where Girish Verma had remained posted as EO for a long time and had provided him undue benefits in return, he added.