Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested former Punjab minister and Congress leader Sadhu Singh Dharamsot on Tuesday morning in relation to a corruption case. The arrest came a few days after the state’s vigilance Bureau arrested Mohali DFO who revealed how Dharamsot was bribed before felling each tree in the area, news agency ANI reported.
Punjab Vigilance Bureau's Chief Director Varinder Kumar revealed on Tuesday that Rs 500 were given to Dharamsot as a bribe before felling each tree. And over time nearly Rs 1.25 crores were given to him which he used for transfers and postings of officials.
“Prove has revealed that former minister Sadhu Singh used to be given Rs 500 for felling of each tree, over the time, around Rs 1.25 Cr was given to him. Singh used to take money for transfers& postings of officials,” Punjab Vigilance Bureau's Chief Director Varinder Kumar told ANI.
According to a report by Indian Express, Dharamsot was arrested at 3 am by a team of the Patiala Vigilance Bureau. Along with Dharamsot, former cabinet minister Sangat Singh Gilzian was also arrested by the Vigilance Bureau for taking bribes worth Rs 6.4 crores through commissions in installations of tree guards.
Both arrests came after Mohali District Forest Officer Guramanpreet Singh was arrested after being caught in a sting seeking a bribe to facilitate the sale of illegal farmhouses in the periphery of Chandigarh, Indian Express reported.
On basis of the revelations made by Singh, Dharamsot and Gilzian were arrested on Tuesday.