Ludhiana: Ludhiana Police have filed an FIR against former Congress MLA Pritam Singh Kotbhai and five of his associates for duping Nirmal Singh Bhangu, chief managing director of the Pearl group and his relative of Rs 3.5 crore.
The former MLA from Punjab's Bucho constituency had promised to arrange Bhangu's bail if he gave him the money. Police have already arrested three accused and search is on for Kotbhai and two others.
According to the police, Kotbhai, who was arrested in a chit fund fraud case had met Bhangu, jailed on charges of duping people in chit fund investment in Bathinda Jail. The former MLA demanded Rs 5 crore from Bhangu on the pretext of getting him bail. Kotbhai boasted of his links in the government and claimed that he would dispose of all cases against him.
Bhangu was convinced by the tall claims made by Kotbhai and agreed to give an advance of Rs 3.5 crore while assuring to pay the remaining Rs 1.5 after he got bail. Bhangu asked his relative Shinder Singh to transfer Rs 3.5 crore to a few firms named by Kotbhai. After transferring the amount Shinde realised that all the firms where the money was transferred were fake. He immediately informed the police of the fraud.
Based on Shinder's complaint, police lodged an FIR at Sarabha Nagar police station against Kotbhai and five others namely Jeevan Singh, Dharamveer, Dilip Kumar, Sanjay Sharma and Syed Parvez. Police said the complaint has been registered under section 406, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
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Three accused namely Jeevan Singh, Dharamveer and Dilip Kumar have already been arrested and a search is on for the others including the former MLA, police said.
