Ludhiana: ED witness in money laundering case attacked at Dehlon

Victim, who hails from Bathinda, says he was returning from Jalandhar after recording statement against a Machhiwara man before Enforcement Directorate officials when he was attacked

Minutes after leaving the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Jalandhar post recording his statement in connection with a money laundering case, a Bathinda-based realtor was allegedly intercepted and assaulted by a few persons. Acting on the complaint of Gurmeet Singh, the Dehlon police have registered an FIR against Baljinder Singh alias Aman of Machhiwara and his aides, who are yet to be identified.

An FIR has been registered against a resident of Machhiwara and his aides.

According to the victim, the assailants made him talk to the accused on the phone, who forced him to sign some documents. When he refused, the accused hit him with a pistol’s butt and opened fire twice in the air before escaping, he mentioned in his statement to the police.

Gurmeet Singh said he is a key witness in a money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate in which Baljinder Singh is an accused. The complainant added that on September 23 when he came out of the ED office in Jalandhar after recording his statement, he received a call from a foreign number. The caller threatened him for recording his statement against Baljinder Singh, he said.

According to the FIR, Gurmeet Singh informed one of his friends, who is also a witness. The latter suggested him changing the route following which he turned his car towards the Malerkotla road. The complainant stated that when he reached near Dehlon Chowk, four miscreatings on two bikes intercepted his way. As he stopped the car on the roadside, the assailants vandalised his car with the weapons they were carrying. They dragged him out of the car and thrashed him. The accused made him talk to Baljinder Singh on phone, who forced him to sign the documents his aides were carrying.

“When he refused, the accused thrashed him with a pistol butt on his face and head. He raised an alarm after which the passersby started gathering. The assailants fled after opening fire twice in the air. The assailants also robbed him of ₹30,000 in cash,” the FIR read.

The complainant added that he alerted the police and later he was rushed to a hospital. Inspector Sukhjinder Singh, station house officer (SHO) at the Dehlon police station, stated that an FIR under Sections 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 115 (2) (voluntarily causing hurt ), 304 (snatching), 191 (3) (aggravated rioting ), 190 (every member of an unlawful assembly guilty of an offense committed in prosecution of the assembly’s common object), 61 (2) ( criminal conspiracy) of the BNS and Section 25 of the Arms Act has been registered against Baljinder Singh and his aides. A hunt is on for the arrest of the accused, cops said.