ACB nabs check post scam kingpin

Ahmedabad: A team of state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) led by DSP TK Patel caught Vipul Patel, a resident of Bhayli Road, Vadodara, and considered to be kingpin of state-wide multi-crore check post scam, from Ahmedabad following a tip off. It is Patel's 14th arrest in the case since February this year.
ACB officials said Vipul had joined hands with another accused, Jayesh Patel, to file RTIs against officials concerned with check post management and had allegdly forced them to cooperate or seek transfers.Vipul had involved the then Gujarat Info-Petro Limited (GIPL) CEO VK Sharma, project manager Ramji Chavda and auditor Ashok Chhajer to recruit his men as data entry operators at key check posts on Gujarat borders, said officials.
"At the moment, we have found properties, bank accounts, gold and silver ornament inventories, and land and shops worth crores, which are in the name of Vipul Patel or his relatives. Several teams of ACB are working on the case to ascertain the scope of the scam. His questioning would be crucial to understand the nexus that made him misuse government machinery for his personal gain," said an ACB official.
When Jayesh Patel was caught while returning from Palanpur to Vadodara in February, said ACB officials, he was found in possession of Rs22.75 lakh cash and account notes showing collection of Rs26 lakh, considered to be the amount made by the racket from a single check post in a fortnight.