Agency seeks financial history of suspended IPS officer and family as investigation widens beyond India
five different agencies after Bhullar, five cases registered ; sixth case likely by Income Tax
Chandigarh, November 12, 2025 (Bharat Khabarnama Bureau) – The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has formally registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against suspended Punjab DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar, escalating the high-profile corruption scandal that has already rattled the state’s bureaucracy, judiciary and political circles. Officials confirmed that the ED initiated the probe after receiving extensive financial and digital evidence from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which arrested Bhullar last month in a bribery case and later filed a case under prevention of corruption act and a disproportionate assets case.
Banks asked to freeze financial footprints
Following the registration of the case, the ED has written to several banks, seeking complete records of transactions carried out by Bhullar, his wife, children and close relatives. The agency has demanded statements, KYC documents, locker inventories and details of fund transfers, including outward remittances, deposits, fixed-deposit trails and investments linked to firms in which the family is believed to hold indirect stakes.
Sources said several bank accounts have already been flagged for unusual cash deposits, structured withdrawals and layering patterns that indicate possible laundering of illicit earnings. The agency is also analysing Demat holdings, mutual funds, insurance bonds and loan accounts allegedly used to disguise the source of funds.
Foreign money trail under investigation
A major focus of the ED’s probe is Bhullar’s suspected investment in foreign real estate, hotels and commercial ventures. Preliminary CBI findings suggest that the suspended DIG diverted illegal earnings to purchase properties in Dubai and Canada, including Dubai hotels reportedly leased and operated through his nephew, who holds residency in the UAE.
The ED is now examining wire transfers, hawala routes, shell companies abroad and the role of family members in facilitating these overseas purchases. Requests for information under the MLAT (Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty) framework have also been prepared for authorities in the UAE and Canada.
Scrutiny of foreign trips and unexplained expenditure
Officials said the ED has also begun investigating dozens of foreign trips taken by Bhullar and his family over the past several years. Travel records show visits to the UAE, the UK, Thailand, Italy, Australia and Canada, many of which, investigators believe, were linked to financial transactions, property scouting or meetings with overseas associates.
The agency is verifying whether expenses incurred during these trips were paid through undisclosed accounts or laundered money, and whether Bhullar used foreign visits as cover to move funds or sign property agreements abroad.
CBI evidence forms backbone of ED case
The ED’s case is built on material gathered by the CBI during its raids at Bhullar’s residences in Chandigarh, Samrala and Machhiwara, where officials recovered Rs 7.36 crore in cash, 2.25 kg of gold, 26 luxury watches, four firearms, 100 bottles of foreign liquor, foreign currency and documents for over 50 properties. Digital data extracted from Bhullar’s phones also revealed chats and transactions indicating unaccounted foreign investments.
Investigators are also examining the role of property dealers in Patiala, Ludhiana and Mohali, who allegedly acted as conduits to convert bribe money into land deals under the names of family members and relatives.
A widening web of financial crime
Bhullar now faces probes from five different agencies, the CBI, ED, Income Tax Department, Punjab Police and Punjab Vigilance Bureau. He had already been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Punjab Excise Act, and two disproportionate assets cases. With the ED stepping in, the case has entered the money-laundering phase that could lead to attachment of properties, seizure of bank accounts and prosecution of associates who helped route illicit funds.
Sources said the ED is preparing to identify, freeze and attach both domestic and overseas assets linked to Bhullar, which could include farmlands, luxury homes, commercial plots, foreign properties and stakes in hospitality ventures abroad.
One of Punjab’s biggest-ever corruption probes
With the financial trail now stretching across borders, the Bhullar investigation has become one of the most expansive corruption and money-laundering cases in Punjab’s administrative history, touching judges, senior bureaucrats, property dealers and foreign links.
The ED’s next step will be to summon Bhullar’s family members, close business associates and real-estate intermediaries for questioning as it moves to piece together the full extent of the suspended DIG’s hidden empire.
