NRI Sabha chief, sons declared POs Accused of embezzling lakhs of rupees

Ludhiana, October 2, 2005
The multi-lakh rupees money transfer scam involving the Deol family of Mullanpur Dakha, having huge properties in India and Canada, has come to the fore again with the main accused, Raja Deol, being declared a proclaimed offender (PO) in three cases of cheating, while his father, a former NRI Sabha chief, and brother being declared POs in two cases.
The accused had allegedly duped several persons in Punjab and Haryana.
The proclamation orders have enabled the police to come a step closer to the much-awaited extradition of the three accused who had fled the country earlier this year.
The police would also now be able to attach their properties. The family owns a palatial house on a farm near Mullanpur Dakha besides other properties in India and Canada.
The police is however worried at reports emanating from Canada that the accused have floated a new money transfer company there.
The police is in the process of alerting the Interpol to inform Canadian public, said a senior Punjab Police official.
He said the proclamation orders would go a long way in convincing the Interpol about the extradition of the accused.
Three courts in Ludhiana, Jagraon and Fatehgarh Sahib police districts have declared the accused POs in separate cases. The accused have been charged with pocketing lakhs of rupees sent by NRIs to their relatives in Canada through a money transfer company run by the accused in these two countries.
Copies of the court orders on September 5 stated that Judicial Magistrate, Jagraon, Jatinder Walia had declared former Ludhiana NRI Sabha chief Pritam Singh Deol, his son and main accused Rajpreet Singh, alias Raja Deol, and second son Devinder Deol proclaimed offenders in FIR No. 21 lodged with the Sudhar police station on March 15. The copies were made available only now.
The accused were booked under Sections 406 and 420, IPC, on the complaint of Kewal Singh of Dango village. He had charged the accused with cheating him of Rs 3 lakh. His relatives in Canada had sent him the money through the accused but the amount was embezzled.
In the second case, Judicial Magistrate, Ludhiana, K.K. Singla had declared Raja Deol a PO on September 7 in FIR No. 37 lodged with Division No. 8 police station on April 22 under Sections 406 and 420, IPC.
Complainant Bikram Singh, sarpanch of Baddowal village, had charged the accused with siphoning off Rs 2 lakh from some money sent to him by his relatives from Canada.
Similarly, Judicial Magistrate, Amloh, Baljinder Singh on September 17 declared the three accused POs in FIR No. 55 registered on March 14 with the Fatehgarh Sahib police district on the complaint of Ranjit Singh Grewal.
A resident of Dadheri village, the complainant had charged the three with pocketing Rs 12 lakh. His NRI relatives had sent him the money from Canada through the money transfer company of the accused.
The accused have been declared POs under Section 82 of the CrPC. A senior police official said they would initiate proceedings for attachment of property under Section 83 of the CrPC.

Two Indo-Canadians nominated for NRI Sabha Punjab

TORONTO: Two Indo-Canadians have been nominated to the post of vice-president of NRI Sabha Punjab , a non-political organisation devoted to the cause of Non-Resident Indians. 

Rajinder Saini , a noted journalist from Torontoand Major Singh Sahota from Vancouver, were nominated as vice-presidents of the Sabha, a spokesperson of the organisation said. 

He said that Canadian representatives would help in resolving challenges faced by Indo-Canadians in their home country and educate them about the emerging business opportunities in the State.

VEHICLE THEFTS

Insurance surveyors party to crime 

Mohali, July 16
The notorious gang of interstate criminals busted recently by the Mohali police adopted more than one way of laying their hands on vehicles of their choice.
Apart from lifting and snatching cars, they used to connive with surveyors of insurance companies to procure damaged vehicles auctioned at throwaway prices, keeping the vehicle owners in the dark.
The interesting aspect of the modus operandi of the gang has been revealed by a Kurali-based lawyer, Chander Shekhar Bawa, whose Mahindra Bolero (PB 65 J 6726) was sold in an auction by a surveyor while keeping him in the dark. Though the vehicle was repairable, the surveyor had pressed upon its owner to dispose it of as it had been totalled.
“I was told by the surveyor that I would be given Rs 4.20 lakh, including Rs 1.70-lakh claim, by the insurance company. However, I never got the money,” he claimed.
On probing the matter, he found that the vehicle had been auctioned for Rs 2.50 lakh to a member of the gang. However, he was kept in the dark about the auction. He has now filed a complaint with the police in this regard.
This has prompted the police to probe the role of a key member of the gang, Chetan Bakshi, who is believed to have been in close contact with officials of insurance companies. Mohali SSP GPS Bhullar said all angles were being probed.
Bakshi had slipped from the hands of the police after it had recovered around 25 stolen vehicles. The police had also zeroed in on two persons who specialised in the job of embossing engine and chassis numbers on vehicles and were doing the job for the gang at a price.

Immigration firm owner held for fraud

Chandigarh, July 16
The police has arrested Anu Bhattacharya, director of immigration company ACME Career World Pvt Ltd, Sector 34, in a case of fraud. The accused had allegedly duped nine persons of Rs 81 lakh on the pretext of sending them to Canada.

The victims belonged to different states and were cheated by the accused on false promises. The complainants, including Gurjeet Singh of Pilibhit district in UP, had approached Bhattacharya through an advertisement and paid Rs 9 lakh each in November, 2010. The accused had provided a Canadian visa to Gurjeet, but it was later found to be fake, the police said.

The police sources said the director was arrested following Gurjeet’s complaint and those of eight others who were duped in a similar fashion. The accused had shut down his office in Sector 34 and was arrested through tower location of his cell phone from Zirakpur.

The police said there were three more accused in the case and all were at large.

RTI Act & Jammu and Kashmir

The RTI Act was not applicable in Jammu and Kashmir

Nirupama named US Ambassador

New Delhi, July 16
Just three days before India and US hold their second strategic dialogue, the government today formally announced the appointment of soon-to-retire Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao as its next ambassador to the US. Rao retires on July 31 following a two-year tenure. She will be a key member of the Indian team when US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives here for the dialogue.
The External Affairs Ministry formally announced Rao’s appointment as the next envoy to Washington. Rao will succeed Meera Shankar to become India's second woman ambassador to the US. Rao has been ambassador to China and Sri Lanka. She was the second woman to head the Indian Foreign Service after Chokila Iyer. The new Foreign Secretary will be Ranjan Mathai.