2 min readNew DelhiApr 27, 2026 09:50 AM IST
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Monday launched search operations at 11 premises across Punjab and Chandigarh in a money laundering probe linked to former deputy inspector general (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar and his associates.
The raids were conducted under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. Among 11 locations, five are in Ludhiana district, two in Chandigarh, two in Patiala, one in Nabha, and one in Jalandhar.
ED sources said the ongoing searches against Haracharan Singh Bhullar aim to uncover additional proceeds of crime, benami properties, and evidence of money laundering involving the accused, their associates, and suspected benamidars.
The ED raids stem from predicate offences registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), Chandigarh, involving allegations of bribery and possession of assets disproportionate to known sources of income.
Bhullar, who served as DIG of Ropar Range, was arrested by CBI in October 2025 following a complaint by a Fatehgarh Sahib-based scrap dealer. The complainant alleged that Bhullar allegedly demanded illegal gratification through middleman Kirshanu Sharda to settle a 2023 FIR registered against his business at Sirhind police station.
According to the CBI FIR and investigation records, Sharda initially sought a bribe to close the case and later demanded Rs 8 lakh to prevent further police action.
On October 16, 2025, a CBI trap led to Sharda’s arrest while accepting Rs 5 lakh on Bhullar’s behalf.
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Later, a case of disproportionate assets was also registered against Bhullar after the recovery of an unexplained cash of Rs 7,36,90,000, gold and silver jewellery worth around Rs 2,32,00,000, and 26 luxury/branded watches, among others, during the search of his residential premises in Sector 40-B, Chandigarh.
