Central agency expands probe to uncover real estate nexus in money laundering case
Chandigarh, April 30, 2026 (Bharat Khabarnama Bureau) : The Enforcement Directorate has frozen 1.4 crore rupees and seized a cache of documents following synchronized raids at 11 premises across Punjab and Chandigarh, intensifying a money laundering probe into suspended DIG of Punjab police Harcharn Singh Bhullar and a suspected network of property dealers close to him. This latest action by the central agency targeted an alleged financial nexus involving the purchase of high value real estate through intermediaries to disguise the origin of illicit funds.
The search operations were carried out on April 27 at eleven separate locations including Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, and Patiala. These premises are linked to Bhullar and his several associates suspected of acting as frontmen for large scale land transactions. The federal investigation follows two cases registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation in October 2025 regarding accepting bribery and possession of assets beyond his known sources of income.
Investigators believe that substantial amounts of unaccounted cash were moved through the bank accounts of property dealers and his associate persons (benamidars) who did not have the legitimate financial standing to support such investments. This process involved layering money across multiple accounts before it was eventually used to acquire agricultural and residential land in the names of others.
During earlier phases of the investigation, original property documents were found at the residence of the Bhullar, which suggested that he maintained beneficial ownership of assets registered to different individuals. The recent searches have provided further evidence of properties located in Zirakpur, Mohali, Kapurthala and Ludhiana that are now under scrutiny by the ED.
The agency is currently analyzing the incriminating records recovered during the raids to establish the full scope of the money laundering activities. Further investigation is ongoing to establish full extent of the money laundering activities, financial transfers and to uncover the nexus between property dealers, intermediaries and public servants associated with Bhullar.
