Chandigarh, November 10, 2025 (Bharat Khabarnama Bureau) – The corruption scandal surrounding suspended Ropar Range DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar has widened dramatically, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) now probing the possible involvement of two judges and nearly 30 IAS, IPS and PCS officers in Punjab. Investigators believe that Bhullar, already facing four criminal cases, used his influence to manipulate judicial outcomes and funnel illegal money into benami real estate and foreign assets.
Judges under scanner for alleged favours
According to sources, the CBI’s analysis of WhatsApp and electronic communications between Bhullar and his conduit, Krishanu Sharda, has revealed disturbing exchanges indicating attempts to influence judicial and civil administration decisions. Several chats reportedly show that Bhullar and Krishanu coordinated with two sitting judicial officers to secure favourable verdicts for individuals and businessmen willing to pay for “assured outcomes.”
CBI investigators suspect that in at least two cases, Bhullar’s network arranged cash transfers and overseas trips for these judges in exchange for favourable rulings. Evidence has emerged suggesting that these judicial officers were sponsored for foreign tours as a reward for verdicts influenced through Bhullar’s intervention. The agency has gathered travel records, hotel invoices and foreign currency receipts to support these allegations.
The agency while seeking further remand from the court for five days argued that Bhullar’s financial records revealed suspicious transactions, including Rs 32 lakh deposited within two months, far exceeding his known sources of income.
CBI raids expose real estate links
During recent raids at five locations, including the Patiala home of Bhupinder Singh, owner of BH Properties and the premises of a Ludhiana-based property dealer, the CBI has seized a cache of financial records and electronic data that has further implicated Bhullar. The seizures included Rs 20.50 lakh in cash, three digital devices, eight files, 23 property documents and detailed ledgers of transactions linked to Bhullar’s alleged investments through real estate proxies.
Preliminary analysis and and the documents recovered indicate that the suspended DIG may have invested heavily in commercial and residential projects across Patiala, Ludhiana and Mohali, often through layered transactions designed to disguise the source of funds.
Foreign assets and money laundering trail
The CBI has already shared crucial findings with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Income Tax Department, both of which are preparing to open separate investigations against Bhullar. The ED is examining the allegations that Bhullar diverted illicit earnings to purchase properties and hotels in Dubai and Canada.
The Income Tax Department, which has been probing the sources of Rs 7.50 crore in cash, 2.5 kilograms of gold, 26 luxury watches, documents of 50 properties, keys of bank lockers and several bank accounts recovered from Bhullar’s Chandigarh home, is now examining whether he filed false income declarations and property returns while serving as a senior police officer. Officials said that Bhullar’s declared income was “grossly inconsistent” with the scale of wealth unearthed during the CBI raids.
A widening net of accountability
Bhullar, a 2007-batch IPS officer, was arrested on October 16 after being caught in a CBI trap along with Nabha resident Krishanu Sharda, who was allegedly collecting a bribe of Rs 8 lakh from Mandi Gobindgarh-based scrap dealer Akash Batta. Since then, Bhullar has been at the centre of multiple investigations, two by the CBI (for bribery and disproportionate assets), one by the Punjab Police at Samrala under the Punjab Excise Act and one by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau for accumulating wealth beyond known sources of income.
Now, with the ED and Income Tax Department preparing to launch parallel financial probes, Bhullar’s legal troubles continue to deepen. Officials say the combined evidence points to a sophisticated nexus of corruption, judicial manipulation and money laundering, unprecedented in Punjab’s recent administrative history.
Mentionably, the CBI had seized Rs 18.6 lakh in cash, multiple gold ornaments, bank FDs, 11 electronic devices including mobile phones and hard drives and property documents linked to Krishanu and his family members.
Systemic corruption under scrutiny
The coming weeks are expected to reveal whether the scandal will remain confined to a few individuals or expose a broader chain of collusion within the state’s corridors of power. It’s learnt that the central agency’s focus is now on identifying systemic enablers within the bureaucracy and judiciary who helped Bhullar sustain his network for years. The digital evidence has opened a window into how influence and favours were traded at high levels of administration.
