05-22-2007, 07:02 AM
Pen drive, phone memory card help put Amarinder in dock
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 21
Did a pen drive and a phone memory card reportedly help the Punjab vigilance bureau nail former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, his son Raninder Singh, mother Mohinder Kaur, sister Herminder Kumari (Bibaji) and brother-in-law Natwar Singh in the Ludhiana city centre and Punjab intranet scams?
Helped by the pen drive, the bureau has claimed seizing computerised account books of Chetan Gupta, suspected to be the main conduit for putting black or ill-gotten money of 80 businessmen and top politicians in hawala transactions, investments in real estate and money laundering.
The seized computerised book of accounts of Chetan Gupta relates to the past eight years. All transactions made until March 31, 2007, are recorded in a separate account of each of the 80 beneficiaries, including several members of the family of Amarinder Singh and former foreign minister Natwar Singh.
âPlease let us complete the investigations first,â was all director of the vigilance bureau S.S. Saini has to say on the progress in the case so far.
Vigilance bureau sleuths were careful to ensure that Chetan Gupta or his men should not be able to destroy either the pen drive or the memory card of his phone in which he had stored information of his Swiss account as well as some details, including the address of a flat owned by Bibaji in London.
Sources reveal that Chetan Gupta was handling more than Rs 52 crore on behalf of his 80 clients. He has an account in a Swiss bank (No 0835-722966-7 in Credit Suisse, 500 Parade Plats, Zurich).
Apart from the compilation of information about alleged bribes paid in the Ludhiana city centre scam and datewise remittances in hawala transactions, an international money laundering racket, claim the sources, has been exposed.
The account books also reveal varying interest rates paid to different beneficiaries. Chetan Guptaâs entries reveal that he used to pay 24 per cent interest to Natwar Singh while in the case of Rajmata Mohinder Kaur, Jaya and Malwinder Singh it was 15 per cent each. Interestingly, for Amarinder Singh and Raninder Singh, it was 12 per cent.
One entry in the computerised account books says that interest amounts of Rs 6 lakh, Rs 8 lakh and Rs 4 lakh were paid to Jagat Singh, Natwar Singh and Bibaji in March this year.
The bureau men had spent the entire day yesterday in New Delhiâs Barakhamba Road office of Chetan Gupta in perusing the computerised account books.
Incidentally, the state vigilance bureau has become the first agency to seize computerised account books. It has been working quietly and got details of even bribes allegedly paid by Chetan Gupta not only to secure the franchise of various international airlines but also to senior functionaries in the enforcement directorate in the Punjab intranet scam.
The bureau has now established dates, places and the amount of bribes which were paid in the Ludhiana city centre scam. For example, money changed hands in Greater Kailash (S Block) and the Lodhi Estate area in New Delhi. Preliminary investigations have correlated these dates with the visit of the former Chief Minister to New Delhi.
Chetan Gupta was maintaining computerised accounts of, among others, Bibaji, Natwar Singh, Jagat Singh, Amarinder Singh, Tikku (Amarinder Singhâs second account) and Maharaja Amarinder Singh besides two separate accounts of Raninder Singh in the name of Tiku and Tiku (P). His interrogation revealed details of a flat owned by Bibaji in London ( 37 Shrewsbury, 42 Cheynewalk) and also how he first got the money transferred in his Swiss account before putting it back in Natwar Singhâs account abroad.
As on March 31, 2007, Bibaji had Rs 2,09,72,195 in her account with Chetan Gupta while Natwar Singh had Rs 4,10,53,603 and Jagat Singh Rs 3,32,09,544. The closing balance of Amarinder Singh (Tikku) on March 31 this year was Rs 12,19,04,015.
Besides, Chetan Guptaâs computerised account books revealed that Rs 21,97,14,568, was the inflow in 2005-2006.
Interestingly, the Rajmata owed Rs 86.44 lakh to Chetan Gupta but had given under a separate head a Rs 13 lakh deposit.
In the intranet scam, the investigations of Chetan Gupta revealed, money was routed through Jatin Kothari and Kim Sinha. Only two transactions of $ 1 lakh each could be confirmed so far. Interestingly, Kim Sinha had business transactions with Chetan Gupta also.
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 21
Did a pen drive and a phone memory card reportedly help the Punjab vigilance bureau nail former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, his son Raninder Singh, mother Mohinder Kaur, sister Herminder Kumari (Bibaji) and brother-in-law Natwar Singh in the Ludhiana city centre and Punjab intranet scams?
Helped by the pen drive, the bureau has claimed seizing computerised account books of Chetan Gupta, suspected to be the main conduit for putting black or ill-gotten money of 80 businessmen and top politicians in hawala transactions, investments in real estate and money laundering.
The seized computerised book of accounts of Chetan Gupta relates to the past eight years. All transactions made until March 31, 2007, are recorded in a separate account of each of the 80 beneficiaries, including several members of the family of Amarinder Singh and former foreign minister Natwar Singh.
âPlease let us complete the investigations first,â was all director of the vigilance bureau S.S. Saini has to say on the progress in the case so far.
Vigilance bureau sleuths were careful to ensure that Chetan Gupta or his men should not be able to destroy either the pen drive or the memory card of his phone in which he had stored information of his Swiss account as well as some details, including the address of a flat owned by Bibaji in London.
Sources reveal that Chetan Gupta was handling more than Rs 52 crore on behalf of his 80 clients. He has an account in a Swiss bank (No 0835-722966-7 in Credit Suisse, 500 Parade Plats, Zurich).
Apart from the compilation of information about alleged bribes paid in the Ludhiana city centre scam and datewise remittances in hawala transactions, an international money laundering racket, claim the sources, has been exposed.
The account books also reveal varying interest rates paid to different beneficiaries. Chetan Guptaâs entries reveal that he used to pay 24 per cent interest to Natwar Singh while in the case of Rajmata Mohinder Kaur, Jaya and Malwinder Singh it was 15 per cent each. Interestingly, for Amarinder Singh and Raninder Singh, it was 12 per cent.
One entry in the computerised account books says that interest amounts of Rs 6 lakh, Rs 8 lakh and Rs 4 lakh were paid to Jagat Singh, Natwar Singh and Bibaji in March this year.
The bureau men had spent the entire day yesterday in New Delhiâs Barakhamba Road office of Chetan Gupta in perusing the computerised account books.
Incidentally, the state vigilance bureau has become the first agency to seize computerised account books. It has been working quietly and got details of even bribes allegedly paid by Chetan Gupta not only to secure the franchise of various international airlines but also to senior functionaries in the enforcement directorate in the Punjab intranet scam.
The bureau has now established dates, places and the amount of bribes which were paid in the Ludhiana city centre scam. For example, money changed hands in Greater Kailash (S Block) and the Lodhi Estate area in New Delhi. Preliminary investigations have correlated these dates with the visit of the former Chief Minister to New Delhi.
Chetan Gupta was maintaining computerised accounts of, among others, Bibaji, Natwar Singh, Jagat Singh, Amarinder Singh, Tikku (Amarinder Singhâs second account) and Maharaja Amarinder Singh besides two separate accounts of Raninder Singh in the name of Tiku and Tiku (P). His interrogation revealed details of a flat owned by Bibaji in London ( 37 Shrewsbury, 42 Cheynewalk) and also how he first got the money transferred in his Swiss account before putting it back in Natwar Singhâs account abroad.
As on March 31, 2007, Bibaji had Rs 2,09,72,195 in her account with Chetan Gupta while Natwar Singh had Rs 4,10,53,603 and Jagat Singh Rs 3,32,09,544. The closing balance of Amarinder Singh (Tikku) on March 31 this year was Rs 12,19,04,015.
Besides, Chetan Guptaâs computerised account books revealed that Rs 21,97,14,568, was the inflow in 2005-2006.
Interestingly, the Rajmata owed Rs 86.44 lakh to Chetan Gupta but had given under a separate head a Rs 13 lakh deposit.
In the intranet scam, the investigations of Chetan Gupta revealed, money was routed through Jatin Kothari and Kim Sinha. Only two transactions of $ 1 lakh each could be confirmed so far. Interestingly, Kim Sinha had business transactions with Chetan Gupta also.