Former Punjab director general of police S.S. Virk was admitted to hospital here Monday, a day after he went on "hunger strike" to protest his arrest on corruption charges.

Virk, who was arrested by the Punjab Police on Sunday in New Delhi, was taken to the super-specialty Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) here under tight security and was being examined by a team of senior doctors.

Virk has refused to eat anything since Sunday.

The former DGP is a serving DGP rank officer in his parent cadre of Maharashtra. The vigilance department has pegged his assets at over Rs.1 billion (Rs.100 crore), far in excess of his known sources of income. He has also been accused of harbouring terrorists when he was the Punjab Police chief during the peak of militancy in the state.

He is the highest-ranking serving police officer to be arrested like this.

Virk was picked up by the police from his room in Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi, brought to Mohali town adjoining Chandigarh and questioned by Punjab Police officials - whom he had commanded just nine months ago.

After his medical examination at the civil hospital at Mohali, doctors advised the police that he be kept under medical observation as his blood pressure had shot up. Virk was operated upon some time ago for bladder tumour.

"My arrest is a political vendetta by the present government against me to settle scores," Virk said here after his arrest.

Virk's palatial house in an upscale area of Sector 27 and other properties in Zirakpur, 10 km from here, and elsewhere in Punjab were searched by the vigilance officials Sunday and Monday.

The former DGP is considered close to former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh. He remained DGP under Amarinder's government for over two years. Virk remained on deputation from Maharshtra to the Punjab police for nearly 20 years, especially during the peak of terrorism in the state.

Virk has been accused of harbouring terrorists as he allowed several terrorist-turned-informers to lead normal lives under new names.

One such close confidante of Virk was Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukhi. The police searched Sukhi's house Sunday in Jalandhar.