Punjab: Ex-BJP district chief among 5 booked for fraud

Phagwara (Pb), Jun 17: Former Kapurthala district BJP President Tejasvi Bhardwaj and four others have been booked on charges of fraud, forgery and criminal conspiracy, police said today.

The other four include Canada-based NRI Rajiv Joshi, Baldev Krishan of village Bhanoki, ‘Nambardar’ Mehanga Ram of Gobindpura mohalla and deed writer Narinder Kumar of Chachoki village, they said.

A case was registered against the accused yesterday under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security, will etc), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), police said.

As per complainant Santosh Kumari Sharma of Goraya, she had purchased a house in the posh locality Urban Estate in 2013 but could not register the property.

She alleged that Bhardwaj, with the connivance of four others, had allegedly made fraudulent papers with back date of 2012, showing himself to be the possessor of the house, police said.

Bhardwaj, when contacted today, alleged that the case was politically-motivated. "My political rivals are behind the cooked-up case," he said. Phagwara SP Ajinder Singh said that the case will be probed again.

PTI