‘Bharat Bhushan Ashu aides give VB the slip with multiple sims’

LUDHIANA: The Vigilance Bureau’s hunt for the three aides of former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who is in judicial custody in the alleged foodgrain transportation tender scam, is rife with hurdles. VB officials said that they are finding it difficult to arrest them as they seem to be changing places frequently. He added that while chances of them having escaped to a foreign country were remote, they seemed to be moving around in various states in the country. The VB official also said that as per technical data, the accused seem to be using multiple SIM cards and mobile handsets to evade detection.
According to the official, data indicates that they may have been discarding SIM cards after using them in a particular state. The official suggested the possibility of the accused using a mobile software, which masks the original number of the user and makes a random number appear. He added that the accused also try to communicate with family members through WhatsApp calls and use dongle (instead of mobile, the IMEI of which can help police trace them).
Former LIT chairman Raman Balasubramanium was booked by the Vigilance department in an alleged corruption case.
The Vigilance Bureau’s hunt for the three aides of former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who is in judicial custody in the alleged foodgrain transportation tender scam, is rife with hurdles. VB officials said that they are finding it difficult to arrest them as they seem to be changing places frequently. He added that while chances of them having escaped to a foreign country were remote, they seemed to be moving around in various states in the country.
Inderjit Singh Indi and Pankaj Meenu Malhotra were nominated in the alleged foodgrain transportation tender scam. SSP ,Ludhiana Vigilance Bureau, R P S Sandhu said the three accused are on the run and raids are being conducted to arrest them. A Vigilance officer said on condition of anonymity that apparently Indi got some vital documents removed from Ashu’s house on August 23 and was filmed in CCTV footage. Meenu Malhotra also has been accused of allegedly accepting bribe on behalf of the former minister. He added that the former LIT chairman is also said to be close to the Ashu and can provide leads about his alleged financial dealings. The officer claimed that though they have a strong case against the former minister, arrest of his three aides could make their case stronger.Bipin Ghai, counsel for Raman Balasubramium said that the concerned agency had collected evidence and had not found financial dealing of his client with Bharat Bhushan Ashu.