The PRO of a former Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister attempted suicide by consuming drugs in a police station where he is lodged in connection with a disproportionate assets case, police said today.
Kewal Sharma, former Public Relations Officer of Tara Chand, attempted suicide in police custody here yesterday, but was immediately rushed to the hospital.
"He consumed some drugs and attempted suicide yesterday. He was taken to hospital and treated," a police officer said today.
The officer said they had registered an attempt to suicide case against Sharma.
The State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) had arrested Sharma here on February 20 on charges of amassing wealth disproportionate to his source of income and not cooperating in investigation.
During investigation, assets like commercial and luxury vehicles and immovable properties like residential houses, within and outside the state, worth crores of rupees have been unearthed.
Sharma qualification documents on the basis of which he was appointed have also been found to be fake and a separate FIR has been filed and the matter is being investigated, the officer said.
Sharma, who is a forest guard by profession, was the PRO of Chand during the National Conference-Congress dispensation.
During the probe, it was found that Sharma had opened bank accounts with the help of fake documents and deposited crores of rupees in them, and utilised the money for amassing assets.
In September 2015, the SVO raided and seized movable and immovable properties of Sharma at Patta Paloura, his two houses including ancestral at Kachrial and a property at Migrant Colony (Gurah Jageer-Paluwan) in Akhnoor.
It was further alleged that he had opened different bank accounts in his name, his sons' name and in the name of his close relatives in which transactions of more than Rs 4 crore have taken place during in 2013 and 2014, officer said.
The accused purchased luxury vehicles and commercial vehicles allegedly in a mostly benami (nameless) manner, officer said.
Sharma was also alleged to have made a number of foreign visits in violation to service rules, he added.
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