ED seizes ₹1.4 crore, property papers after raids on suspended DIG Bhullar

The search was carried out on April 27 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on premises linked to Bhullar

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted searches at 11 locations across Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala in connection with a money laundering probe against suspended deputy inspector general (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar and his associates, leading to seizure and freezing of ₹1.4 crore and recovery of incriminating documents, the investigation agency said in a release on Wednesday.

Bhullar, a 2009-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and former DIG (Ropar range), was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on October 16, 2025, in a bribery case.

Bhullar, a 2009-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and former DIG (Ropar range), was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on October 16, 2025, in a bribery case.

The search was carried out on April 27 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on premises linked to Bhullar, property dealers and suspected ‘benamidars’ (the person in whose name a benami asset is held), the release added.

The ED investigation stems from an FIR registered by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), anti-corruption bureau (ACB), Chandigarh, based on a complaint by a scrap dealer Akash Batta. The complaint alleged that Bhullar, through a middleman, Kirshanu, demanded illegal gratification to settle an FIR registered at Sirhind police station and to avoid coercive action against the complainant’s scrap business.

A separate FIR was also registered against Bhullar for allegedly possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

According to ED findings, substantial cash deposits and bank transfers were routed through accounts of property dealers and associated persons with no commensurate income.

Investigators suspect these individuals acted as ‘benamidars’ with funds layered across multiple accounts before being used to acquire properties.

Property documents earlier seized by the CBI from Bhullar’s residence reportedly indicate his beneficial ownership in assets purchased in others’ names, the release said.

During the searches, the ED recovered evidence related to several residential and agricultural properties located in Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Kapurthala, Mohali and Zirakpur. The agency said these transactions are under detailed scrutiny.

Officials said the probe is focused on uncovering the full extent of alleged money laundering and establishing links between property dealers, intermediaries and public servants connected to Bhullar.