Overview
- A CBI court in Chandigarh on November 1 ordered Bhullar into five days of CBI custody for interrogation in the bribery probe.
- The Punjab Vigilance Bureau’s parallel bid for his custody in a Mohali court did not succeed, and the CJM later directed that VB must give prior notice to the CBI before seeking his production.
- CBI prosecutors told the court that preliminary phone forensics show extensive incriminating chats and messages suggesting attempts to influence judicial orders, with further electronic recovery sought.
- Co-accused and alleged middleman Kirshanu Sharda is already in nine days of CBI remand as investigators plan face-to-face questioning and to track the money trail.
- Earlier searches recovered about ₹7.36 crore in cash, jewellery worth roughly ₹2.32 crore, 26 luxury watches and numerous property documents, leading both CBI and the Punjab Vigilance to register disproportionate-assets cases after which Bhullar’s judicial custody was extended to November 14.