Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Jan 18: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting searches in poll-bound Punjab, including at the homes of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s accused relatives involved in an illegal sand mining cases.
Over ten places in the state were raided by the ED, including the Mohali home of Bhupinder Singh Honey, who is purportedly a relative of CM Channi.
Bhupinder allegedly formed a company called Punjab Realtors to obtain sand mining contracts, according to sources. Homeland society, where CM Channi’s sister-in-son law’s lives, was also raided by the ED.
The ED suspects that black money was used to secure the sand mine contract. Sources claim that the company that was recently incorporated is small in scope and unlikely to get a contract worth millions of dollars.
Punjab’s opposition parties have accused the state administration of assisting those involved in illicit sand mining in the past.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed in December 2021 that illegal sand mining was flourishing in Chamkaur Sahib, CM Channi’s own seat. These searches assume significance as punjab will go to polls in a single phase on February 20.
