CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has secured a major breakthrough in a corruption case by attaching 8 properties and three bank accounts belonging to former Deputy Director of the Punjab Food and Civil Supplies Department, Rakesh Kumar Singla, his wife Rachna Singla, and their sons Swaraj Singla and Siddarth Singla. This action was taken following a court order in the ongoing criminal cases against them.
Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the state VB said the attachment order was issued by the Ludhiana court in case titled "State Versus Rakesh Kumar Singla and others" in FIR No. 8 dated April 19, 2023, registered under Sections 13(1)(b) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Section 120-B of the IPC. The properties attached include five commercial shops at "The Celebration Bazar", near Patwarkhana, on GT Road in Khanna, specifically shop no. UGF-30, UGF-29, UGF-27, UGF-28, and GF-31, all registered under vasika numbers dated June 30, 2021. Also attached are a Flat No. 304 in Sector 48-A Chandigarh, an office space in the International Trade Tower at Mullanpur, SAS Nagar and a SCO in the Lake Commercial Project in Omax project, SAS Nagar. Additionally, the bureau has attached bank balances amounting to Rs. 1, 08, 44, 785 received by Rachna Singla as rental returns from aforementioned properties, as well as rent amounts of Rs. 14, 32, 992 and Rs. 16, 25, 088 received by Swaraj Singla and Siddarth Singla respectively from other properties.
He further stated that the court, in its order dated September 15, 2025, has restrained the accused and their legal heirs/attorneys etc from transferring or mortgaging these properties during the pendency of the case. This action is part of the broader investigation into allegations that Rakesh Kumar Singla amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income during his tenure.
The spokesperson informed that the VB had previously registered FIR No. 8 after it emerged that Singla was involved in a criminal conspiracy, initially highlighted in FIR No. 11 dated August 16, 2022, where he was accused of corruption and embezzlement. The investigation revealed that he illegally purchased properties in the names of his family members using proceeds from corruption. The accused Singla and his wife, residents Rajguru Nagar, Ludhiana, have been evading law enforcement, leading to the court has declared them as proclaimed offenders. Further investigation into this case is underway, he said.