ED Raids Across Punjab in Money Laundering Probe Linked to Former DIG H.S. Bhullar
(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
Chandigarh, April 28 — The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Chandigarh Zonal Office, has carried out extensive search operations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 at 11 premises across Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, and Patiala.
The searches, conducted on April 27, targeted locations linked to former Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer Harcharan Singh Bhullar, his associates, property dealers, and suspected benamidars.
The ED action originates from an FIR registered by the CBI, ACB Chandigarh, based on a complaint by Akash Batta, who alleged that Bhullar, then serving as DIG, demanded illegal gratification through a middleman to shield his scrap business from coercive police action.
A separate FIR was also lodged against Bhullar for possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.
Findings of the Investigation
According to ED officials, the probe revealed substantial cash deposits and transfers routed through the bank accounts of property dealers and associates with no legitimate income to justify their investments in land.
Investigators believe large sums of unaccounted cash were layered through multiple accounts and ultimately used to acquire properties in the names of suspected benamidars.
Original property documents seized earlier by the CBI from Bhullar’s residence allegedly indicate his beneficial ownership.
During the latest searches, incriminating evidence relating to multiple residential and agricultural properties across Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Kapurthala, Mohali, and Zirakpur was recovered.
Seizures and Next Steps
The operation resulted in the seizure/freezing of ₹1.4 crore and recovery of documents pointing to a wider network of money laundering activities.
The ED stated that further investigation is underway to establish the full extent of the illicit transactions and to uncover the nexus between property dealers, intermediaries, and public servants linked to Bhullar.
This case underscores the growing scrutiny of alleged corruption and money laundering involving senior police officials, with the ED’s intervention marking a significant escalation in the legal proceedings.
