E-Paper
Extortion racket: ED gets 7 days to quiz Panchkula financier Anil Bhalla
ED on Tuesday had carried out searches at Bhalla and his accomplices’ 17 properties in Chandigarh, Panchkula, Zirakpur and Mohali as part of an investigation relating to extortion, drug dealings, and possession of illegal arms and ammunition
A PMLA special court on Thursday granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seven-day custody of Panchkula-based financier Anil Bhalla and his accomplices in connection with a money laundering case.
Anil Bhalla, his sons Akash and Sahil, business partner Narendra Khillan and Nirmal Singh were produced before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) special court amid high security.
ED on Tuesday had carried out searches at Bhalla and his accomplices’ 17 properties in Chandigarh, Panchkula, Zirakpur and Mohali as part of an investigation relating to extortion, drug dealings, and possession of illegal arms and ammunition.
The directorate initiated investigation on the basis of 21 FIRs registered by Panchkula Police under various sections of IPC, NDPS Act and Arms Act against Bhalla and his accomplices.
During the course of search operations, ED had recovered Indian currency/foreign currency and FDRs valued at ₹6.25 crore, apart from arms and ammunition.
Panchkula police had busted the extortion racket in May last year, with the arrest of Bhalla, a resident of Sector 2, ASI Gurmez Singh, in-charge of the Sector 2 Police Post, and Narendra Khillan of Sector 10.
As per police, Bhalla used to blackmail people by getting them to sign blank papers, then grabbed their property. He is also accused of issuing threats to implicate people in false cases. In 2022, more than 100 complaints were filed against him.
ED during the recent raid had recovered 17 live cartridges from Bhalla’s house in Sector 4, following which police had registered another case against him. ED had found two packets of loose cartridges of .315/8 mm, with 10 cartridges in one packet and seven in another.
