The Aryavarth Express
Agency(Uttarakhand): In a notable crackdown on corruption, P.C. Upadhyay, the former private secretary to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, was apprehended by police in Dehradun for his involvement in a fraudulent scheme. The deception, amounting to over Rs 50 lakh, targeted a pharmaceutical company owner under the guise of securing him an e-tender for medicine supply across various districts of Uttarakhand.
Arrested on Thursday, Senior Superintendent of Police Ajai Singh confirmed Upadhyay’s detention followed by his court appearance, resulting in his subsequent jail remand. The grievance was officially filed on March 9 by Ram Keval, proprietor of JR Pharmaceutical in SIDCUL, Haridwar, who detailed his encounters with Upadhyay and an intermediary, Saurabh Vats. Keval was led to believe that an e-tender, valued at Rs 5 crore for the distribution of medicines, was within reach.
Keval’s affidavit elaborated on the series of payments made in hopes of securing the tender, a total loss of Rs 51,71,440, paid in varied installments. Besides Upadhyay and Vats, the complaint implicates four others: Nandini (Vats’s spouse), Shahrukh Khan, Mahesh Mahariya, and Sonak Mahariya, all of whom are accused of participating in the scam.
In a related development, Vats found himself in custody on Wednesday, arrested by Rajasthan Police in Bhilwara for a separate fraud case, highlighting his pattern of deceitful activities. The search continues for the remaining accused, who are currently evading law enforcement, painting a complex web of fraud that has ensnared individuals from diverse backgrounds.