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ED raids Punjab AAP MLA Kulwant Singh’s premises in Mohali in drugs probe case
ED action against Punjab’s richest legislator under Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with a drugs trafficking case
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday conducted searches at multiple locations in Punjab, including at the premises of AAP MLA Kulwant Singh, as part of a drugs-linked money laundering investigation, official sources said.
Locations in Mohali, Amritsar and Ludhiana are being covered by the federal probe agency along with an escort of central paramilitary forces personnel.
The premises linked to SAS Nagar Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Kulwant Singh, 61, in Mohali are also being covered, they said.
Also read: Punjab guv asks CM to act against AAP MLA’s firm over environmental violations
Kulwant Singh, who is the richest MLA in Punjab with assets worth ₹1,000 crore, joined the AAP in December 2021 and managed to get a ticket from Mohali and won a seat in the Punjab assembly in the 2022 elections. In 2015, he had managed to become the first mayor of the Mohali municipal corporation House, with the support of Congress. Later, in 2017, he joined the Shiromani Akali Dal. He was expelled from SAD in January 2021 for “anti-party activities” after he decided to contest the 2021 civic polls independently, where he lost.
The ED action is being undertaken under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is understood to be based on an FIR of the Punjab Police related to a narcotics and drugs trafficking case.
The MLA recently was in news after Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit asked chief minister Bhagwant Mann to take “strict action” against the legislator’s real estate company whose two projects allegedly violated environmental norms.
The two projects in Mohali are being developed by Janta Land Promoters Limited (JLPL), which is owned by Kulwant Singh. (With HT inputs)
