S.S.Virk at Mohali police station on Sunday. (PTI)

Mohali, Sept. 9: S.S. Virk, Punjab’s controversial former director-general of police, was arrested today on the charge of amassing unaccounted wealth and sent to hospital with high blood pressure.

The officer, known to be close to former chief minister Amarinder Singh and who has had several brushes with controversy, was arrested at Maharashtra Bhavan in New Delhi by the Punjab vigilance bureau.

Virk denied allegations of corruption against him. “I have done nothing wrong. This is political vendetta,” he said at a police station here after being brought in from New Delhi.

The 58-year-old officer was later admitted to the civil hospital here. Doctors said they suspected stones in his gall bladder and found his blood pressure high, senior medical officer S.M. Sarang said.

On deputation to Punjab for the last 18 years, Virk had got himself repatriated to his parent cadre, Maharashtra, after the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government suspended him when the alliance came to power earlier this year.

The officer had sought the transfer citing possible ill-treatment by the new government as he was close to Amarinder.

The state government had recently started disciplinary proceedings against Virk in an alleged land fraud in Kharar, 15km from here, in which the former DGP is accused of buying land from a war widow and not paying her the full amount.

Virk was also wanted for questioning by the vigilance bureau over a sprawling farm owned by his brother and retired colonel R.D.S. Virk near Chandigarh.

The farm was cleared by the Amarinder government as a “mega-investment project” in December 2006. The project was also promised concessions by the erstwhile Congress government.

Virk was charged with colluding with a former extremist, Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukhi, based in Jalandhar.

Sukhi, who turned a police informer, was declared dead and was allegedly helped by Virk to lead a new life under an assumed name.

Virk’s residence in Chandigarh’s affluent Sector 27 was raided. Sukhi’s home in Jalandhar, too, was raided.

Virk was removed as police chief by the Election Commission in January this year, ahead of the Assembly polls, citing concerns regarding his “credibility”.

The vigilance bureau will also investigate allegations of crores of rupees spent on his daughter’s wedding.

The marriage of Virk’s daughter had also run into controversy. In October last year, Kerala High Court had directed the parents of Vikramjit Singh, an IPS officer posted in Kerala, to pay marriage expenses of Rs 15 lakh to his estranged wife and Virk’s daughter Jasleen.

Jasleen had said she was given 4 kg gold, Rs 10 lakh in cash and other valuable items as gifts but her in-laws were demanding more.