The tentacles of CRPF constable recruitment scam spread to Punjab with a team of CBI sleuths conducting a raid at the house of Pargat Singh in Boha village in this district and recovering money to the tune of Rs 23 lakh, yesterday evening. Enquiries by The Indian Express reveal that Pargat Singh is the brother-in-law of Commandant of 134 battalion B.S. Sidhu. Both Pargat and Commandant Sidhu are among a number of persons arrested in connection with the constable recruitment scam in CRPF. Commandant Sidhu hails from Kot Dharmu village in Mansa district, claim sources.

Surinder Kumar, an inspector of the CBI, who was among those who conducted the raid, confirmed to The Indian Express the recovery of Rs 23 lakh from the house of Pargat Singh. “The money recovered is related to the CRPF recruitment scam. Pargat Singh was with the CBI team when the raid was conducted,” the CBI inspector said. “Pargat is the brother-in-law of Commandant B.S. Sidhu,” he revealed.

Sources claimed that the Commandant’s sister is married to Pargat, who is an agriculturist.

Preliminary investigations into the scandal in Bihar and Jharkhand, which has so far led to the arrest of a number of persons including IG Pushkar Singh, have revealed that sums ranging from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh were collected from each candidate by touts and part of the money would go to the kitty of senior officials of CRPF. Between 2007 and 2009, over 700 constables were recruited to the CRPF from Bihar and Jharkhand and as per top CBI sources, there were hardly any appointments that were not tainted.