Peons, clerks and chauffeurs of leading politicians have become overnight millionaires or are well set up in their employers' institutions.

One example is Manohar Panse, the driver of BJP president Nitin Gadkari, who is a director in five of Gadkari's Purti Power and Sugar Limited (PPSL) investor companies and a director in six companies between 2009 and 2011. One employee of Purti's bakery unit Rajesh Khanzode, and an astrologer Vishnu Sharma are also directors of two companies with stakes in PPSL. Both Panse and Khanzode say they have no knowledge about their directorships.

Another example of the new trend are BJP MP Ajay Sancheti's driver and peon who 'bought' a flat each worth Rs.60 lakhs in the Adarsh Housing Society.

A sting of other examples exist and it would seem that in political and bureaucratic circles the fact that many politicians use their drivers or peons for dubious transactions is well known. In certain cases, drivers or peons of some veteran politicians also head cooperative societies floated by them.

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Six months after elaborate investigations the CBI has filed a case against Lt Gen (retd) Tejinder Singh for offering a bribe of Rs.14 crore to former Army Chief General VK Singh, to clear the purchase of 1676 Tatra trucks for the Indian Army.

The CBI's investigation involved various raids in Delhi, Mumbai and Noida on the premises of Vectra Group chairman Ravi Rishi and the residence of Tejinder Singh and recovered Rs.98 lakhs in cash. Sources say Tejinder Singh also had links with arms-dealer Abhishek Verma.

Separately the CBI is conducting an inquiry into a complaint regarding the monopoly Tatra enjoyed for two decades in supplying trucks to the defence forces, and sources say the charge sheet should be filed in a Delhi court shortly.

General VK Singh created a sensation when he made public his allegations against Tejinder Singh.

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Former IPS officer of the Maharashtra cadre Y P Singh, alleges that Ajit Pawar the nephew of Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar allotted 348 acres of land on a renewable lease of 30 years to Lake City Corporation in 2002, thus violating a Supreme Court judgement. The company that later came to be known as Lavasa Corporation was allotted the land at a paltry monthly rent of Rs.23,000 !

Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule now NCP MP from Baramati and her husband Sadanand Sule held 20.81% shares in the company. They later sold their entire share to the Lavasa Corporation.

According to Singh, Axis Bank that invested Rs.250 crore in Lavasa Corporation in 2008 in the form of convertible preference shares and convertible debentures, valued the company at Rs.10,000 crore. This being the case Singh believes the Sules did not file these assets before contesting the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, making the entire transaction a money laundering scam.

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An official confirmation of a cop-criminal nexus was exposed when an assistant sub-inspector in Idukki, was found to have rented out his uniform for Rs.50,000 to a bandit to enable him commit highway robbery in Tamil Nadu.

In September a businessman was driving near Coimbatore when his car was waved down by a police officer and even as the cop was checking the vehicle, a group of men came by and overpowered the businessman and fled with Rs.30 lakhs he was carrying. As the bandits left they flattened the car tyres and took the police officer along with them.

Later in October, during a routine vehicle check a man was nabbed for carrying unaccounted money to the tune of Rs.8 lakhs. Police confirmed than the man was a professional thief.

When he was interrogated he confessed that he had participated in the Coimbatore robbery and disguised himself as a police officer in the uniform he had rented from the assistant sub inspector.

When police questioned the assistant sub inspector he said he was on medical leave during the robbery and he had given his uniform to his cousin.

His explanation is doubted and police believe the assistant sub inspector was part of the gang who carried out the robbery.

Police are now also on the lookout for five other members of the gang of highway robbers.

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Senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka was transferred after he ordered a probe into Robert Vadra's land deals and later blocked a deal between Vadra's company and DLF. Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda defended the removal and threatened action against Khemka if he had misrepresented facts.

Khemka left office as Haryana's director-general of consolidation of land holdings and land records-cum-inspector general of registration only after he signed papers cancelling a mutation order in favour of DLF for land in Gurgaon district that was sold to them by Vadra.

As the India Against Corruption's campaign demand for a probe into Vadra's business became shriller, the BJP said the transfer was a warning to those who questioned the 'first family' of Indian politics calling it victimisation that exposes the mindset of the Congress.

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