Indian 'bribery scandal cash' found

Sidhu (right) being held by police

By Asit Jolly BBC correspondent in Chandigarh

Indian vigilance officials in the northern state of Punjab have recovered cash worth more about $1.6m from bank lockers belonging to relatives of a top public official.

The official, Chairman of the state's Public Service Commission, RS Sidhu, was recently arrested on corruption charges.

Vigilance officials say the money is part of a huge booty that Mr Sidhu accumulated in bribes over the past five years in office.

The money was recovered on Friday when Punjab vigilance department officials raided five bank lockers belonging to Mr Sidhu's mother and brother.

Massive haul

They recovered about 80m Indian rupees (about $1.6m) from the lockers but said that this was only a fraction of the money accumulated by the disgraced official.

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Mr Sidhu was arrested in March only minutes after receiving what vigilance officials allege was "his last bribe" of around 500,000 rupees in cash.

Mr Sidhu was responsible for all middle-level recruitment to Punjab's civil, police, judicial and education services.

He was arrested after a series of complaints that jobs could only be had in exchange for huge bribes of which he was allegedly the chief beneficiary.

More awaited

Mr Sidhu has vehemently denied all the charges against him and insists that his arrest is part of a personal settling of scores by the new Congress government in Punjab.

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However, investigators say they have successfully tracked down and unearthed a substantial portion of his "ill-gotten wealth".

Besides the cash recovered on Friday, vigilance department officials say they have been able to pin down assets, including real estate, valued at about 250 million rupees.

Investigating officials say data recovered from Mr Sidhu's laptop computer indicates that the total value of his unaccounted and undeclared wealth may exceed about 750 million rupees.

They say they are now waiting for court orders to break open bank lockers belonging to Mr Sidhu's other associates.

Efforts are also being made to apprehend at least five such persons allegedly involved with Mr Sidhu in the huge illegal money-making racket