Alleging vendetta politics, Mofar claimed to have tried in vain to approach Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today, but the VB moved an application in the Mansa Court for the arrest of his son and former managing director of Mansa Central Co-operative Bank Bikram Singh Mofar.

On his petition earlier, it was learnt, the Mansa court had given Bikram an interim relief of serving a seven days notice before arresting him. The other two persons named in the case are Satpal Verma and Surjit Singh Kahangarh, former vice-chairman and chairman, respectively, of the bank.

Verma was arrested yesterday and produced in the court today before he was sent to one-day VB remand. According to VB DSP Onkar Singh, the case was registered following an inquiry by VB DSP Chuhar Singh, who has now retired.

Onkar said against the sanctioned strength of seven securitymen, the accused recruited 19 for various branches, besides four peons were promoted as clerks during their tenure. He said the accused were also charged with bungling traveling allowance, besides committing irregularities in loans.

MLA Mofar alleged that the case was registered at the behest of Akali leader Balwinder Singh Bhunder, who unsuccessfully contested the 2007 assembly elections from Sardulgarh. He said he would raise the issue during zero hour in Vidhan Sabha on March 10.

However, Bhunder denied the charge. "I have nothing to do with it. It all happened at a time when all the office-bearers of the bank were Congressmen." Bhunder added, "When I do something against my opponents, I do it openly."

Bikram said the case was a result of vendetta politics. He said he and other persons named in the case had nothing to do with the recruitment of securitymen. "The recruitment process was carried out by Pesco," he claimed, adding that the case was registered "on the basis of an affidavit given by a securityman, after he was made a false promise that his services would be regularised".