The Haryana State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (HVACB) has formally arrested former Haryana MLA Ramniwas Surjakhera for allegedly siphoning off Rs 68 crore from the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) bank accounts. The arrest follows investigations by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED).
ACB officials recovered Rs 5 lakh in cash and three cars registered in the names of Surjakhera and his wife during the operation. During interrogation, Surjakhera admitted to using his share of the embezzled funds to purchase plots, gold, and invest in stocks.
Already lodged in Ambala jail, Surjakhera was taken into custody by the ACB on production warrants and remanded to two-day police custody. He was later sent to judicial custody.
The case originated on February 27, 2019, when Sunil Bansal, a senior accounts officer, allegedly closed a Punjab National Bank account in Manimajra, Chandigarh, one day before his retirement, intending to embezzle government funds. An FIR was registered against him on March 7, 2023, under multiple IPC sections at Panchkula’s Sector 7 police station.
So far, HVACB has arrested 13 accused, including Manoj Pal Singla, Vijay Kumar, Sunil Kumar Garg, Sunil Kumar Bansal, Yash Bindal, Ramkesh Singh, Harkesh Sharma, Surendra Kumar, Naveen Kumar, Naresh Kumar, Bharat Kumar, Harish Kumar, and Ramniwas Surjakhera. All are currently lodged in Ambala Central Jail.
The bureau is actively tracing properties bought by the accused and their family members with the embezzled money, aiming to proceed with property attachment actions.