Amritsar, July 10 – The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) here today produced Congress leader and former deputy chief minister O P Soni in the local court for allegedly amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during 2016 to 2022. The local court has given two days police remand to VB.

After producing in the court, he was taken to Civil hospital Amritsar where his pulse was found    irregular and immediately shifted to Fortis hospital for thorough checkup.

Many senior Congress leaders including Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, LOP Partap Singh Bajawa besides local leadership visited Soni in the hospital.

Talking to media, SSP vigilance Varinder Singh Sandhu said that when Soni was produced in the court which has given two days police remand for investigation. However, Soni was arrested on Sunday.

An FIR was registered on Sunday under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act at Vigilance Bureau Police Station, Amritsar Range against Soni following investigations in the inquiry, which was ordered on October 10, 2022, as VB spokesperson.

During the check period from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2022, the income of the former Deputy CM and his family was Rs 4,52,18,771 while the expenditure was Rs 12,48,42,692, which was Rs 7,96,23,921 or 176.08 per cent more than his known sources of income.

During this period, OP Soni had made properties in the name of his wife Suman Soni and son Raghav Soni,” as claimed by VB.

The spokesperson said further investigations in this case are on.

Earlier, Soni had appeared before the VB in Amritsar and joined investigation. Before demitting his office, he had promised to give the bureau all details of his moveable and immovable properties. The investigation is a result of an anonymous complaint the bureau had received accusing Soni of amassing properties beyond his known sources of income.