Updated June 4th, 2022 at 23:12 IST
Illegal sand mining case: Aide of ex-Punjab CM Charanjit Channi's nephew arrested by ED
Kudratdeep alias Lovie was arrested earlier in the day and has been sent to 14-day judicial custody. Ex-Punjab CM Channi's nephew was arrested in February.
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested businessman Kudratdeep Singh, an aide of former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's nephew Bhupinder Singh alias Honey in the illegal sand mining case, under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) charges.
Kudratdeep alias Lovie was arrested earlier in the day and has been sent to 14-day judicial custody by a court. Bhupinder and his associate Kudratdeep Singh were charged under various Sections of money laundering by the ED.
Illegal Sand mining case
Honey was arrested on the intervening night of February 3 and 4 by the Federal agency. The investigating agency had also questioned Charanjit Singh Channi for several hours in April. The ED had filed a chargesheet in the case in April. Both the accused have been booked under Sections 3 (Offence of money laundering), 4 (Punishment for money laundering), 44 (Offences triable by special courts) and 45 (Offences to be cognisable and non-bailable), of the PMLA Act.
On January 18, the ED had raided premises linked to Honey and others at 10 locations. The agency also seized over Rs 10 crore, gold worth more than 21 lakh and a luxury Rolex watch worth Rs 12 lakh from the residential premises of alleged sand mafia Honey and others.
The money laundering probe was initiated by the ED on the basis of an FIR registered at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar Police Station under Sections 379, 420, 465, 467, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 21(1) and 4(1) of Mines and Minerals (Regulation of Development) Act, 1957 in March 2018.
As per the FIR, illegal sand mining activities were carried out at Malikpur, Burjtahl Das, Barisal, Lalewal, Khosa and Mandala. Honey's partner Kudratdeep Singh and 25 others were booked by the Punjab Police in its 2018 FIR. When the ED had questioned Kudratdeep, it came to light that the main facilitator was Honey.
Image: PTI/Representative
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Published June 4th, 2022 at 23:12 IST
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