Ponty Chadha who was reportedly killed along with elder brother in a shootout at the family's farm in Delhi, has been in the news for a variety of reasons -- mostly of course, for the way he used his political influence to further his business interests. Here are 10 things you might want to know about the man.
1. He was a liquor baron from Uttar Pradesh.
2. Chadha was known for his proximity to political parties and for his knack to work the system to his advantage.
3. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) found ‘discrepancies’ in the BSP government’s auction of sugar mills, many of which went to Chadha.
4. Media reports say Chadha’s Wave Inc amassed almost 5,000 acres of land bank.
5. Chadha owns Centrestage Mall in Noida and Wave cinema multiplexes.
6. It was alleged that Chadha got all government deals at a low price because of his close political proxmity to former UP chief minister Mayawati.
7. In 2009, the Mayawati government handed Chadha wholesale rights to distribute liquor in the state. This was the first instance of an individual getting complete control over distribution of liquor in a state.
8. Chadha was born in a poor family in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh. He used to sell snacks with his father in front of a country wine shop.
9. Controversial liquor king Ponty Chadha's real name was Gurpreet Chadha. He has business interests in real estate, sugar mills and film production.
10. According to tehelka.com, Chadha was all set to bag a contract of over Rs 10,000 crore for the supply of the nutritional food supplements for children enrolled at Anganwadi centers across the state.
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