More bother is in retailer for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Amit Rattan Kotfatta after the state forensic laboratory in Mohali confirmed that his voice samples match with the audio recordings through which the MLA and his aide have been allegedly demanding a bribe in February.

Punjab vigilance bureau (VB) sources mentioned the voice evaluation report of Kotfatta and his affiliate Rashim Garg was acquired on Tuesday.

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Investigators mentioned the scientific validation of the recordings has helped them make a watertight case in opposition to the first-time MLA from Bathinda Rural (reserved) constituency.

Garg was caught red-handed whereas accepting a bribe of 4 lakh on the Bathinda Circuit House on February 16.

Officials aware of the investigation mentioned complainant Pritpal Kumar, the husband of Bathinda’s Ghudda village sarpanch Seema Rani, had submitted a number of recordings to the VB. “These conversations have been claimed to be between the MLA and his aide Garg. The complainant had recorded the conversations on his cell phone and different recording units as proof in opposition to the duo. Transcripts have been made by VB groups in Bathinda and the recordings have been despatched to the Mohali-based SFL for veracity,” mentioned an official, requesting anonymity.

Kotfatta has termed the costs of demanding bribery as politically motivated.

Kotfatta held week after aide’s arrest

According to the primary data report (FIR) registered by the VB in Bathinda, complainant Pritpal Kumar mentioned Garg invited him to Kotfatta’s residence in Bathinda on February 10 and demanded a bribe of 20% of the event funds granted for Ghudda. “I recorded the dialog when the MLA advised me to present him a sum of 5 lakh for the discharge of funds pending for the previous a number of months and fast disbursal of funds for brand spanking new growth tasks value 25 lakhs. Payments have been meant to be paid to corporations whose companies have been used for growth works. But the block growth and panchayat officer (BDPO) of Sangat was not releasing funds as he was in search of a bribe. The MLA and Garg assured that the monetary backlog can be cleared after a bribe is paid,” the FIR mentioned.

After preliminary investigation, the VB arrested Kotfatta on February 23, per week after his aide was caught red-handed.

Had been expelled from SAD, too

Kotfatta was the second AAP legislator to be arrested for alleged involvement in corruption.

In May final yr, Vijay Singla, the then well being minister, was arrested for demanding 1% fee for a young.

Punjab horticulture, meals processing and protection companies welfare minister Fauja Singh Sarari additionally needed to resign from the cupboard in January, 4 months after an audio clip of a dialog between him and an aide concerning a plan to allegedly “trap” some contractors with the assistance of of presidency officers to extort cash was shared broadly on social media.

Kotfatta is lodged in Patiala jail whereas Garg, a businessman from Samana in Patiala district, is in Bathinda central jail.

In June 2020, Kotfatta was expelled from the Shromani Akali Dal (SAD) after a number of Akali employees and lots of different individuals, together with farmers, accused him of duping them by taking large quantities of cash and promising excessive returns after investing in sure companies.

The first-time MLA is a BTech in mechanical engineering from a personal institute in 2003.