Chandigarh, Sep 26 (IANS): A court in Punjab on Tuesday issued an arrest warrant against former state Finance Minister and BJP leader Manpreet Badal, who is facing allegations of irregularities in the purchase of a property in Bathinda.

The court in Bathinda also issued a lookout circular (LOC) against Manpreet Badal, who had joined the BJP after quitting the Congress in January this year.

On Monday, the Vigilance Bureau had registered a case against Manpreet Badal and four others. It has already arrested three accused -- Rajiv Kumar, Amandeep Singh and Vikas Arora -- in connection with the case.

A spokesperson for the bureau said the case was registered on a complaint filed by former legislator Saroop Chand Singla.

He said during probe, it was found that Manpreet Badal during his tenure as Finance Minister of Punjab from 2018 to 2021 used his political influence to purchase two plots measuring 1,560 square yards in Bathinda, causing a loss of lakhs of rupees to the state exchequer.