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CBI arrests Himachal Additional DGP
Ramanjit Singh Sidhu
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 27
The Central Bureau of Investigation today arrested Additional Director General of Police, Himachal Pradesh, Mr Bhupinder Singh Thind, who is allegedly involved in a case of cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy.

Besides Thind, a Zirakpur-based property dealer, Harinder Singh Saini, was also arrested by the CBI sleuths. Harinder was reportedly acting as a middleman for Thind.

Sources said a case was registered against several persons, promoters of real estate, M/s Shalimar Land Enclave Private Limited, Mani Majra, Chandigarh, in 2004. Initially, the case was registered against the proprietor of M/s Shalimar land Enclave, Prem Chand Singla, and the Chief Manager of State Bank of India, Mr Lokesh Sharma, on a written complaint filed by the Vigilance Department.

It was found out that the accused had sanctioned loans to 32 borrowers who submitted fake documents. Lokesh Sharma allegedly ignored the bank norms. The Deputy Manger of the Sector 16, Panchkula branch of the bank, Mr B.K. Sharma, also connived with proprietors Singla, Arun Singla, Harinder Singh Saini, Tarsinder Garg and Ram Kumar. The loan amount was transferred into the account of the office-bearers of M/s Shalimar Land Projects and thus the borrower and the bank were cheated, said a senior CBI officer.

The accused had taken a number of loans on a single plot by mortgaging it to several banks. Though, Thind was not directly named in the first information report, however, during the course of investigation, his name cropped up. Later, it was also detected that he had several plots in the enclave, said another CBI officer.

Sources said during the course of investigation it was also detected that Thind had taken a loan of Rs 10 lakh from State Bank of India, Sector 16, Panchkula. He had also taken 15 housing loans aggregating to Rs 3.45 crore from various banks by allegedly submitting forged documents.

The apex agency said, Thind, a 1974 batch IPS officer, is presently heading the CID and Law and Order wing of the Himachal Pradesh Police, would be produced before a Special CBI Court in Patiala, tomorrow. Thind, has been involved in several criminal cases, including land grabbing.