DW BUREAU / Chandigarh The Punjab Vigilance bureau on Thursday said it has arrested IFS officer Vishal Chauhan, who was posted as conservator of forests planning, in a corruption case. An official spokesperson of the Vigilance bureau said it has arrested conservator Chauhan after conducting investigations and interrogation of the already arrested Divisional Forest Officer of Mohali Guramanpreet Singh and contractor Harmahinder Singh. Both Guramanpreet and Harmahinder were arrested on June 2 for accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from a real estate developing company WWICS Estate Private Limited for allegedly favouring it in a project. "During the investigation, his (Chauhan) direct role has come to light in connivance with Guramanpreet Singh and Harmahinder with the intention of getting hefty bribes from colonizer Davinder Singh Sandhu by threatening departmental and police action against him," claimed the spokesperson. "As a result of this, VB has arrested Vishal Chauhan after naming him as the accused in this case on the basis of the tangible evidence and investigation is being carried out further," he further said. Davinder Singh Sandhu and his father Baljit Singh Sandhu who owns around 100 acres of land in the name of their company WWICS Estate private limited at village Masaul and Tanda, Sub-Division Majri, Mohali and some part of the land falls under Section 4 of Punjab Land Preservation Land Act, 1900. A complaint was lodged by a Mohali range officer Ranjodh Singh against Baljit Singh Sandhu in April on the charges of violating Punjab Land Preservation Land Act, 1900 in a project. The complaint was moved at the behest of DFO Gurmanpreet Singh and Vishal Chauhan, Conservator of Forests, said the spokesperson. Ranjodh asked Davinder Singh Sandhu to meet Vishal Chauhan Conservator or else an FIR would be registered against him in the case. Thereafter, Sandhu met Guramanpreet and Harmahinder on May 30 and he made a video recording of paying Rs 2 lakh to Guramanpreet who told Sandhu that he would talk to Chauhan and inform him about the remaining bribe money. A few days later the contractor Harmahinder contacted Sandhu and told him that he and Guramanpreet had discussed with Vishal Chauhan, who said that if the project is to be started, then he would have to give bribe of Rs one crore as a first installment and then Rs 10 lakh per month along with Rs 5 lakh of whatever land would be sold as share, said the spokesperson. Sandhu did not agree to pay more money. Thereafter, Sandhu filed a complaint at the anti-corruption helpline of the vigilance bureau, said the spokesperson. (editor@dailyworld.in)