From the home of detained IAS Sanjay Popli, numerous gold and silver coins, cash, mobile phones, and other electronic equipment were found

Popli was indicted by the Chandigarh Police on Tuesday for violating the Arms Act’s provisions regarding unlawful ammunition possession.

The Vigilance Bureau had discovered 41 live cartridges of 7.65 bore, two cartridges of 32 bore, and 30 cartridges of.22 bore during searches at his home on Monday night. Popli was subsequently charged with violating the Arms Act by Chandigarh’s Sector 11 police station.

Sanjay Kumar, a government contractor working for the company Dikhadala Cooperative Society Limited, filed a complaint, leading to the arrest of Popli and his accomplice, Sandeep Wats. In his complaint against Popli and Wats, Kumar claimed that the pair had asked for a 1% cut in order to clear the bids for the installation of a sewer system in Nawanshahr.

According to Kumar, he received the tender for Rs 7.30 crore. On January 12, Wats called him on WhatsApp and reported that Popli had requested Rs 7 lakh for tender allotment. Then, at Sector 20, Chandigarh, he took Rs 3.5 lakh out of his PNB account and gave it to Sandeep Wats in a car. Wats allegedly kept Rs 5000 for himself when calling Sanjay Popli on his WhatsApp number to let him know he had received the payment.

The entire exchange was captured on camera by Sanjay Kumar. Later, Wats repeatedly called him to request the remaining Rs 3.5 lakh, but he declined.

The Vigilance Bureau on Tuesday said that they had received a second complaint of corruption against Popli, who was posted as the Director Pensions in the state government when he was arrested on Monday. The second complaint was filed against him by the bureau after a contractor in Abohar levelled graft charges against the IAS officer.

“We will interrogate him. Let us see what comes out. As of today, there are two graft complaints against him,” a vigilance officer said.

Along with Popli, Sandeep Wats, who served as the board’s assistant secretary, was also detained.