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Money laundering probe: ED raids premises linked to ex-Cong minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, aides
The raids were conducted in connection with two cases – including ₹2,000 crore foodgrain transportation scam and illegal sale of plots under Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday raided multiple locations linked to former Punjab cabinet minister and Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu and others as part of a money laundering investigation, official sources said.
The raids were conducted in connection with two cases – including ₹2,000 crore foodgrain transportation scam and illegal sale of plots under Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT).
Around 20 premises were raided on Thursday under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), out of which 15 were in Ludhiana with CRPF, a central paramilitary force, providing security.
According to a senior official from the ED’s head office in Jalandhar, the raids were carried out at Ashu’s residence in Model Gram of Ludhiana and the residences of several co-suspects in the foodgrain transportation tenders’ scam. These co-suspects include Ashu’s personal assistants (PAs) Inderjit Indi, Pankaj Meenu Malhotra, other aides Anil Jain, arthiya Krishan Lal Dhotiwala of Mullanpur Dakha, and Congress councillor Sunny Bhalla, among others.
In the case of the illegal sale of plots, the raids were conducted at the premises of former LIT chairman and Congress leader Raman Balasubramanium, LIT executive engineer Kuljit Kaur, and other officials who were previously booked by the vigilance department.
The ED official stated that both cases were initially registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau, and now the ED has initiated a money laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Ashu, a former food and civil supplies minister, was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on August 22, 2022, in connection with the foodgrain transportation scam. He was granted bail by the Punjab and Haryana high court in March this year.
Raman Balasubramanium and other LIT officials were booked for alleged corruption in the allotment of plots in Ludhiana. Balasubramanium had previously sought relief from the high court and was also questioned by the vigilance in an inquiry into disproportionate assets.
The raids were still ongoing at the time of filing this report.
