3 min readChandigarhUpdated: Apr 30, 2026 10:22 AM IST
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has seized or frozen Rs 1.4 crore and recovered incriminating documents during searches at 11 locations across Punjab and Chandigarh as part of their money laundering probe linked to suspended Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Punjab Police Harcharan Singh Bhullar and his associates, agency officials said.
The searches, carried out on April 27 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, covered premises in Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala linked to Bhullar, property dealers and suspected “benamidars”. During the searches, evidence relating to residential and agricultural properties located across Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Kapurthala, Mohali and Zirakpur was recovered and seized, said an ED official.
The agency added that earlier searches conducted by the CBI had led to the recovery of original property documents from Bhullar’s residence, indicating his beneficial ownership of assets held in others names.
According to agency officials, the ED is now examining these transactions to establish the full extent of the alleged laundering operation and identify the network of intermediaries involved.
ED officials said the probe stems from an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Anti-Corruption Branch, Chandigarh, on the complaint of a Fatehgarh Sahib-based scrap dealer, who alleged that Bhullar, then posted as DIG, demanded illegal gratification through an intermediary to “settle” a 2023 FIR registered at Sirhind police station and to prevent coercive action against his business. Bhullarn was arrested by the CBI in October 2025.
According to the ED, its investigation has revealed a pattern of substantial cash deposits and fund transfers routed through multiple bank accounts linked to property dealers and associated persons who allegedly had no legitimate income matching the scale of their investments. These individuals are suspected to be benamidars, used to layer unaccounted cash and channel it into the acquisition of properties.
“Funds were routed through multiple accounts and subsequently utilised for purchasing immovable assets in the names of suspected benamidars,” officials said.
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As per the CBI FIR and investigation records, Bhullar’s associate, Krishanu Sharda, initially sought illegal gratification to close the case and later demanded Rs 8 lakh to ensure no further police action against the complainant’s business. A trap laid by the CBI on October 16, 2025, led to Sharda being caught red-handed while accepting Rs 5 lakh on Bhullar’s behalf.
Subsequent searches by the CBI in the corruption case led to the recovery of substantial assets, including unexplained cash worth Rs 7.36 crore, gold and silver jewellery valued at around Rs 2.32 crore, 26 luxury watches, documents of multiple immovable properties, and high-end vehicles such as Mercedes, Audi, Innova and Fortuner. This resulted in the registration of a disproportionate assets case against Bhullar and others.
