M A I N   N E W S

30 crorepati Pherurai
24 relatives, friends booked
Tribune Reporters

Jagraon, October 25
The Jagraon police today announced that former SSP Gurcharan Singh Pherurai has made startling disclosures about important persons in the state during his interrogation and these would be revealed to the public at an appropriate time only. The revelations were not being used to target anyone and the police was sticking to the basics of the cases registered against the former SSP.

Claiming that Pherurai had confessed to all allegations of misuse of power and corruption charges levelled against him, the Jagraon police released a fresh list of the alleged nami and benami properties of the accused, which was revealed by the accused during his interrogation by the police.

The police claimed that the accused admitted to owning a 100-acre farm in Uttar Pradesh, two palatial houses in Mohali, besides making some large transactions in his bank accounts at Chandigarh. The latest disclosures about his property pegs his total property as worth over Rs 30 crore now. Initially, it was 20 crore.

The police has also recovered a prohibited weapon — a .38 Webley Scot revolver — from his possession and has referred the case to the Ferozepore police for registration of a fresh case under the Arms Act and embezzlement of police property against him. The weapon belonged to an NRI and was deposited at the Ghal Khurd village police station in Ferozepore during his stint there.

The police said Pherurai had, by misusing his official position as SSP, gave the weapon to his brother Gurmail Singh without any licence or authority for the latter’s protection. The police said only the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had the right to issue a licence for a prohibited weapon. The weapon was recovered from one of his relatives house in Barrewal, Ludhiana.

“The disclosures about the important people have nothing to do with the present cases registered against Pherirai and directly concern the activities of some important people,” was the only suggestive comment of Jagraon SSP Mukhwinder Singh Chinna, when asked if the disclosures concerned senior Akali leaders.

He told mediapersons to wait for the appropriate time for the disclosures. Pherurai’s disclosures might lead to the arrest of several senior Akali leaders, he said.

Earlier in the morning, the former SSP was taken to Ferozepore vide a transit remand obtained by the police of that district in connection with a fresh case of corruption registered there. It was an irony for Pherurai, whose unbridled power ruled the district for four years, that he was taken to the same place as an accused by a police party.

He was taken away by a team led by SP(D) Mohsin Chawla. The team had obtained a transit remand of the accused, claiming that he was wanted in a corruption case. The accused had allegedly hushed up a murder case. Darshan Singh, a Station House Officer (SHO) at Ferozepore, has also been booked along with Pherurai in the case.

Mr Chinna said they had got statements of several relatives of Pherurai who claimed that they were just used by the former SSP for amassing huge property. Some relatives from Mohali had stated that Pherurai used to deposit black money, say 20 lakhs in their banks, to show the purchase of property and then took a draft in his name and again pocketed the amount.

Mr Chinna disclosed that Pherurai’s son, Gurjit Singh, had operated some lockers on February 13, 2002, a day before the change of government, and probably took away jewellery, cash and other documents.

The police has started investigation into the charges levelled by Mr Gurcharan Singh of Raikot that Pherurai allegedly cheated his father into selling their 32 acres for Rs 90,000 only.

Ferozepore: The local police has booked 24 relatives/close associates of Pherurai on the charges of giving fake residential address “under care of SSP residence” to seek firearms licences.

According to the details available from the local police, the FIR No 93 has been registered under Sections 420 and 120 (B) of the Indian Penal Code. The list of the booked persons has been forwarded to the Raikot police to trace out the persons who got firearms licences showing the official residence of the SSP.

Those who have been booked are: Gurtej Singh, s/o Lal Singh, licence No 954 (1997), brother of Pherurai; Gurjeet Singh, s/o Gurcharan Singh, licence No 955 (1997) sister’s son; Udham Singh, s/o Teja Singh, licence No 956 (1997), sister’s son; Gurcharan Singh, s/o Lal Singh, licence No 958 (1997), brother; Daljit Singh, s/o Gurtej Singh, licence No 959 (1997), brother’s son; Jarnail Singh, s/o Teja Singh, licence No 460 (1997), cousin; and Gurdeep Singh, s/o Gurmail Singh, licence No 962 (1997), brother’s son.

Other relatives/close associates of Pherurai against whom the FIR has been registered are: Darshan Singh, s/o Harmohan Singh, licence No 1780 (1998); Darshan Singh, s/o Gurpiar Singh, licence No 1781 (1998); Manmohan Singh, s/o Darshan Singh, licence No 1782 (1998); Harbhinder Singh, s/o Gurmail Singh, licence No 869 (1999); Ranjit Singh, s/o Guljar Singh licence No 1236 (1999); Sukhdev Singh, s/o Gurdip Singh, licence No 776 (1999); Sukhdev Singh, s/o Shingara Singh, licence No 1426 (1999); Karamjit Singh, s/o Raghbir Singh, licence No 1974 (1999); Mangal Singh, s/o Kartar Singh, licence No 1259 (2000), cousin of Pherurai; Sukhraj Singh s/o Raghbir Singh, licence No 1259 (2000); Gurpreet Singh, s/o Gurmail Singh, licence No 1066 (2000); Sukhdev Singh, s/o Maghar Singh, licence No 1194 (2000); Manminder Singh, s/o Gurdial Singh, licence No 1065 (2000); Balraj Singh, s/o Kartar Singh, licence No 1840 (2000); Sukhdev Singh, s/o Maghar Singh, licence No1841 (2000); Gurpreet Singh, s/o Lakhbir Singh, licence No 1523 (2000); and Gurdial Singh, s/o Jangir Singh, Licence No 2165 (2000).

A judicial court of Ludhiana today refused further extension of police remand of Pherurai to Jagraon police. Meanwhile, the Ferozepure police sought his police remand that was granted for one day.

A senior police official said Pherurai would be produced before a local court tomorrow. However, he declined to disclose the whereabouts of Pherurai.