The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday conducted searches at multiple locations in Punjab in connection with a money-laundering case linked to an alleged guava orchards compensation scam, official sources said.
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The ED case was registered after the federal agency took cognisance of a Punjab Vigilance Bureau FIR pertaining to alleged embezzlement of nearly ₹137 crore released as compensation for guava orchards on land acquired by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA).
The premises of senior government officials and private persons are being covered, the sources said.
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested a number of people, including horticulture department officials, in this case.