Punjab: Arrested IAS officer’s son shot dead, family members told conspiracy

Karthik, the 27-year-old son of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sanjay Popli, arrested on charges of corruption, died on Saturday in Chandigarh. Police say that he has committed suicide, while the family suspects a conspiracy.

In fact, a team of the Vigilance Department had come to his house in connection with the investigation of the case against the officer, when this incident happened, after which the whole matter has been mired in controversy.

On June 19, the Vigilance Department of Punjab Police arrested IAS officer Sanjay Popli for allegedly demanding bribe in lieu of clearing the tender for laying sewage pipeline in Nawanshahr.

Deputy superintendent of police Ajay Kumar said they had ‘left’ the house after confiscating a good amount of material from a store room in the (house’s) yard. The Vigilance Department did not enter Popli’s house.

An official of the Vigilance Department said that 20 minutes after Karthik committed suicide, the Chandigarh Police broke open the door of that room.

According to the report, different statements have also come to the fore regarding the weapon with which Karthik allegedly killed himself.

On June 20, a day after Popley’s arrest, the Vigilance Department claimed to have found countless cartridges, which did not mention any licensed weapon, during a search from his house, following which Popley was booked under sections of the Arms Act. was.

But after Karthik’s death on Saturday, Vigilance Department officials said the family had a 0.3 bore licensed weapon and cartridges, which were not confiscated during searches, as they were valid.

When asked why the family did not remove the valuables that the authorities claimed to have recovered from Popli’s house on Saturday, only after his arrest, an investigating officer said, “Popli gave them gold.” And would not have told about the other stuff. Not everyone tells everything to the family members.

Ajay Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Vigilance Department, said, “We had returned from his house after making some seizures. We had returned with the accused.

He said, ‘The details of who were in our team have been given in Sector 11 police station here.’

When asked whether the family was alleging conspiracy, he termed these allegations as baseless. He said that no member of our team had gone inside the house.

He also rejected the allegations of the family member that some members of the team had assaulted him.

In a statement issued by the spokesperson of the Vigilance Department, it has been said that 12 kg of gold, three kg of silver, five mobile phones, two smart watches have been recovered from Popli’s house.

The recovered items include nine gold bricks weighing one kg each, 49 gold biscuits, 12 gold coins and three silver bricks weighing one kg each, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, State Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Vading attacked the Aam Aadmi Party government over the death of Popli’s son and asked who would bring Karthik back now.

On the death of Karthik, Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Malvinder Singh Kang said that we are deeply saddened by the death of Sanjay Popli’s son.