AAP MLA Raman Arora Arrested in Corruption Case in Punjab’s Jalandhar Central

AAP MLA Raman Arora Arrested in Corruption Case: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Raman Arora (54) from Jalandhar (Central) constituency for corruption on Friday.

Allegedly, Arora made Sukhdev Vashisht, the former assistant town planner (ATP) of the municipal corporation, issue fraudulent seals on notices to buildings to extract money from the population.

Last week, Vashisht was arrested.

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Arora is the third MLA from the ruling party to be arrested for corruption since AAP's 2022 state election victory.

The officers of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau raided the house of Raman Arora and subsequently arrested Arora for demanding money for taking official duties at the Municipal Corporation, as well as making extortion threats.

Arora's security was removed earlier, on May 12.

Sources say that Arora's name emerged during Vashisht's interrogation - who was arrested for threatening to demand Rs 30,000 on May 14 - and he had the prostitution of Arora.

Vashisht threatened owners would seal during the inspections and, if transferred, apparently said he was not scared; he had admitted to issuing 350 notices to stakeholders from April 22 to March 25.

"He was posted in Jalandhar Central zone one-and-a-half years ago. He served in Jalandhar West zone before that for four years,” said an official on condition of anonymity.

It is learned that Vashisht was held based on complaints made by other commercial unit owners and others. The complainants alleged that he was taking undue delays to approve files for money from applicants.

Sources stated that officials of the bureau have taken files of permission for change of land use, notices for commercial and residential units for their dues, permissions granted to residential colonies and development of commercial hubs in Jalandhar Central and Jalandhar West assembly constituencies over the last two years.

Arora is facing many complaints of accepting bribes from the public.

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Arora is the third AAP MLA arrested by the vigilance bureau in the last three years on charges of corruption. His arrest comes three years to the day after the VB arrested the former health minister and Mansa MLA Dr Vijay Singla for corruption on May 24, 2019, and then Bathinda Rural AAP MLA Amit Rattan Kotfatta in a corruption case on February 23, 2023.

Congress MLA from Bholath, Sukhpal Singh Khaira called it a "blatant eyewash and a gimmick" by the Mann-led AAP government to mislead the public before the Ludhiana West by-election.

Khaira compared the arrest of former AAP Minister Dr Vijay Singla before the Sangrur Lok Sabha by-election in 2022, saying that Singla has not yet had any charge sheet filed against him despite serious corruption charges.

"Singla continues to enjoy the full patronage of AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and the party, proving that such arrests are mere stunts to create a false narrative of accountability,” Khaira alleged.

Khaira said if there was an earnest and fair inquiry into the conduct of AAP MLAs, "most of them... would be arrested, as they are in deep corruption." He accused the Mann government of protecting its own, while pretending to be anti-corruption for the sake of electoral benefit.

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