Retired Civil Service Officer Arrested in Land Compensation Scam

A retired Punjab Civil Service officer, Iqbal Singh Sandhu, was arrested for allegedly participating in a scam involving compensation for land acquired for a housing project. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau discovered forged documents used to illegally distribute Rs 5.49 crore while Sandhu was posted as sub-divisional magistrate. Fourteen others have been arrested so far.

In a significant development, a retired Punjab Civil Service officer, Iqbal Singh Sandhu, was arrested on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in a land compensation scam. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau announced his arrest, which is linked to fraudulent compensation for land acquired for the Surya Enclave Extension project in Jalandhar.

The investigation revealed that forged documents facilitated the distribution of Rs 5.49 crore to individuals who were not the legitimate landowners. Sandhu, who was serving as the sub-divisional magistrate-cum-land acquisition collector at the Jalandhar Improvement Trust at the time, is accused of conspiring with Trust officials and an acquaintance, Manjit Sharma, to execute the scam.

This case was initially registered in October 2013 but was later transferred to the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. To date, 14 people have been arrested in connection with the case. Sandhu's court appearance is scheduled for Thursday in Jalandhar, where further proceedings will take place.

(With inputs from agencies.)