Illegal mining case: ED recovers Rs 6cr in cash during raids in Punjab
Darpan News Desk IANS, 18 Jan, 2022 11:54 AM
New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday recovered Rs 6 crore in cash during the raids that were carried out in Punjab in connection with an illegal mining case.
A source said Rs 4 crore in cash was recovered from the house of Bhupinder Singh Honey, the nephew of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. Another Rs 2 crore was recovered from the house of one Sandeep Kumar.
The raids were conducted by the ED at more than 10 locations including Bhupinder Singh Honey's home.
The ED case is on the basis of a two-year-old FIR.
Punjab Police had on March 7, 2018, lodged a case against more than 10 persons.
The ED had initiated a money laundering probe on the basis of this FIR pertaining to illegal sand mining in Punjab.
The FIR has been accessed by IANS which was filed under several sections of IPC.
The ED found that money was being laundered by the accused involved in the case and they started probing the matter.
A source said that ED team which conducted raids at different premises including of residence of Bhupinder Singh Honey which is at Homeland Heights, went on till late Tuesday evening.
The ED team reached several premises early Tuesday mornings. At the home of Punjab CM's nephew, no one was allowed to leave or enter the house. The ED scanned various documents and computers.
The raids have also drawn political reactions. The political parties had already accused the Punjab Chief Minister many times over illegal mining in his own constituency.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had tweeted several times regarding the ongoing illegal sand mining racket.
The police were already looking into the matter for more than two years. And on the basis of the local police probe, the ED initiated their money laundering probe.
As of now, the ED has not made any statement regarding the raids.
During the raids, the ED recorded the statement of those who were present at Honey's house.
A large number of people had gathered outside the house and the police personnel were called to avoid any untoward incident.
Bharatiya Janata Party chief J P Nadda on Tuesday asked the Congress national leadership to clarify their stand on whether they support the remarks on Kashmir and Pakistan made by party leaders in Punjab. Nadda said that the silence of the Congress leadership will be seen as being implicit to such objectionable remarks.
The farmers union leaders had earlier pointed out that Punjab had failed to hike sugarcane SAP in proportion to Haryana over this period, causing fiscal losses to them.
The Punjab Congress leaders who have distanced themselves from the so-called festering revolt in the party are: Kuldeep Vaid, Dalvir Singh Goldie, Santokh Singh, Angad Singh, Raja Warring and Gurkirat Singh Kotli, all MLAs, and Bhalaipur Ajit Singh Mofar, a former MLA.
Gurbachan Singh (55) was a relieved man after he welcomed his three sons at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here. They were among the 78 Afghan- Indians who were evacuated from Kabul to Tajikistan on Monday and to Delhi on Tuesday afternoon.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters along with former Finance Minister P. Chidamabaram, Gandhi said: "The Prime Minister and the BJP said that the Congress had done nothing in last 70 years. There is a list here of all the assets that the Congress has helped build using the public money.
Accordingly, a special Air India flight from Kabul landed at the IGi airport here on Tuesday carrying 44 Afghan Sikhs, who brought three copies of Guru Granth Sahib with them.
