Patiala: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) launched a multi-city search operation across Punjab and Chandigarh on Monday, targeting 11 premises linked to suspended deputy inspector general Harcharan Singh Bhullar as part of a money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.ED teams, accompanied by CRPF personnel, fanned out simultaneously across a few cities in the early hours of Monday. The searches covered two locations in Chandigarh, including Bhullar’s residence, five in Ludhiana, two in Patiala, one in Nabha and one in Jalandhar, said an ED official.The raids targeted not only the suspended officer’s properties but also premises belonging to his associates, alleged property managers and suspected individuals who held assets on behalf of others.Sources said investigators in Ludhiana searched the office of an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader in Machhiwara, along with residences in Baukar village and a property belonging to one Resham Singh, all linked to the management of Bhullar’s alleged assets.In Nabha, a separate ED team raided the residence of a young man named Krishnu, a national-level hockey player from Haridas Colony. His name allegedly surfaced as a facilitator in alleged illegal dealings connected to Bhullar.Krishnu was also reported to have previously served as a social media associate of former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu.The ED action follows two cases registered against Bhullar by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in October 2025, a 2009-batch IPS officer who was then posted as DIG, Ropar Range.In the first case, Bhullar was arrested after a complainant alleged that the officer demanded a bribe through a middleman to settle a criminal case and allow a business to operate without harassment. A CBI trap led to the arrest of the intermediary while accepting a bribe.Subsequent searches at Bhullar’s Chandigarh residence revealed a disproportionate assets haul, including Rs 7.36 crore in cash, gold and silver jewellery worth approximately Rs 2.32 crore, 26 luxury watches, high-end vehicles and documents related to multiple immovable properties.A second CBI case of disproportionate assets was registered on the basis of the recoveries.“The ED is now tracing how alleged proceeds of crime were laundered into the financial system. Investigators are reportedly examining a diary recovered in earlier raids, said to contain a money trail linking Bhullar to realtors and other individuals. Digital devices and financial documents seized during Monday’s searches are being analysed to map the full extent of the alleged network of proxy ownership,” said a senior police officer in Patiala.Bhullar’s bail plea was rejected by the Punjab and Haryana high court in February, with the court citing the gravity of the allegations and the scale of assets recovered.As of Monday evening, no official statement was issued regarding fresh arrests or the specific outcome of the day’s searches.MSID:: 130558930 413 |
