Punjab govt says Congress MLA arrested in 1988 COFEPOSA case

Chandigarh, July 17 (UNI) The Punjab government today said that Joginder Pal Jain, Congress MLA from Moga was arrested yesterday in a COFEPOSA case registered against him in January 1988 by the Indian Customs department after he was found carrying foreign currency at the IGI airport in New Delhi.

The detention orders under COFEPOSA were executed by the Moga SSP yesterday and the MLA was arrested, a release issued by the Punjab Police today stated.

Jain was intercepted by a Customs officer while he was going to Hong-Kong via Bangkok on Thai Airways flight No TG-915. After customs clearance at the IGI Airport he alongwith a friend M L Grover was taken in for questioning and foreign currency amounting to Rs 16.12 lakh was recovered from a suitcase of Jain.

The amount recovered was seized under section 110 of the Customs Act, 1962, the release added.

The detention orders were sent to the Punjab Government by the Union Ministry of Finance, which were further sent to Faridkot SSO.

The orders could not be implemented because Jain had obtained a stay from the Calcutta High Court.

The release said that the case remained alive and correspondence ensued between the Punjab Police and various agencies including the Union Home Ministry. The state government continued asking the Central Government about the status of the case and reminders were sent to all concerned.

The Joint Commissioner of Customs, IGI, Airport, New Delhi vide his letter dated June 16, 2006 again asked the Punjab Police about the status of the case with reference to the execution of the detention orders. The letter also informed the Punjab Police that the representation of Jain to the Union Government on this issue stood rejected.According to the release the letter sought the present status of the execution of the detention orders. On persuing the case the Punjab Police came to know that the interim order of the High Court of Kolkata had been vacated way back in February 2001.

UNI