ACB registers disproportionate assets case against former SICOP MD

Former Managing Director Bhupinder Singh Dua of Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (SICOP) Bhupinder Singh Dua was on Wednesday booked on charges of owning assets exceeding his legal income.

The Anti Corruption Bureau Wednesday registered the fresh case against Dua days after lodging a corruption case against him and another former SICOP MD A K Khullar and serving MD S Jasvinder Singh Dua of the J&K Handicrafts Corporation.

After registering the corruption case on October 10, the ACB sleuths had raided Dua's residence on October 16 and had recovered gold ornaments weighing 1.834 kgs, silver jewelleries weighing 1.470 kgs and over Rs 9.57 lakh in cash from his house.

The discovery of this disproportionate assets has led the ACB to lodge a fresh case against Dua, said officials.

"A disproportionate assets case was registered against Bhupinder Singh Dua under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption act," an ACB spokesperson said.

He said the fresh FIR was registered against the former officer for his alleged involvement in various corrupt and illegal practices, abusing his official position.

"As per the details and facts gathered during secret enquiries, Bhupinder Singh Dua by abuse and misuse of his official position has invested his ill-gotten money from time to time in various business ventures in his name and in names of his family members," he said.

The spokesman said he had set up nine different factories under different names besides operating a large fleet of trucks purchased by him in his name as well as in names of his family members, the ACB spokesperson said.

Additionally, the retired public servant has also built a double-storied palatial house in Posh Nanak Nagar area over a plot measuring two 'karnals' which clearly indicates that he is having property disproportionate to his known sources of income, acquired through illegal and corrupt practices during his service career, he said.

He added further investigation is going on in the case.