Trouble seems to be mounting for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arresting his relative on Thursday in connection with a Public Works Department (PWD) scam.

Vinay Bansal, who is identified as the son of Arvind Kejriwal’s late brother-in-law, was arrested in the morning, said ACB chief Arvind Deep.

Three FIRs, including one against a company run by the Chief Minister’s brother-in-law Surender Bansal, were registered by the ACB in this case on 9 May, 2017. Vinay Bansal was a partner in the firm owned by his father, added ACB official.

Three companies, including Renu Constructions (owned by Bansal, Kamal Singh and Pawan Kumar), were included in the FIRs.

During the investigation, ACB with the help of CPWD had conducted examination of the materials used in the project and sent all their materials to lab for quality check. “The CPWD in their probe found lapses in their project and also in their materials,” said a news report in The Indian Express.

The arrest was made by ACB after their investigators found that fake bills were attached for materials that weren’t even supplied and some of the bills were of companies that do not exist or supply those materials, the report added.

In a complaint lodged earlier, Rahul Sharma, founder of the Roads Anti-Corruption Organisation (RACO), had alleged that Kejriwal and PWD Minister Satyendra Jain misused their office for grant of contracts to Bansal. However, they were not named in the FIR.

RACO, an organisation which claims to monitor construction projects in the national capital, had alleged that a firm linked to Bansal was involved in financial irregularities in building a drainage system in north-west Delhi. The complainant had claimed that even the bid and its technical marks were manipulated.

It was also alleged that the bills sent to the PWD for unfinished works were “false and fabricated”.

AAP cries foul

As per media reports, the Aam Aadmi Party has said Bansal’s arrest is politically motivated. As per a news report in The Hindu, the AAP said Vinay Bansal was a dormant partner in the company being investigated by the ACB.

The ACB falls under the Delhi government’s vigilance department. However, its senior officers report to the lieutenant governor of Delhi.

(with agency inputs)