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SKS Bureau
Chandigarh, In poll bound Punjab opposition parties targeting the Congrsss CM Charanjit Singh Channi on allegations of conservation to sand mafia. SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia called it the game of Money,Honey and Channi. Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi s nephew Bhupinder Singh alias Honey received Rs 10 crore cash in lieu of facilitating illegal sand mining and transfer-posting of certain officials, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed. The agency attested Bhupinder Singh Honey on February 4 and claimed to have recovered Rs 10 crore in cash during searches preceding the arrest.
“During the course of search operation, statements of Kudratdeep Singh, Bhupinder Singh, Santokh Singh (father of Bhupinder Singh) and Sandeep Kumar were recorded, establishing that the seized Rs. 10 Crore belonged to Bhupinder Singh S/o Santokh Singh. Further, Bhupinder Singh accepted that he received the seized cash in lieu of facilitation in sand mining operations and transfer/postings of officials,” the ED said in a statement on Monday.
The agency had on January 18 conducted searches at various premises, including the business and residential premises of Kudratdeep Singh and other directors of M/s Providers Overseas Consultants Pvt. Ltd, a company, which ED has alleged, is involved in illegal sand mining. Bhupinder along with one Sandeep Kumar is one of the directors in the company.
Following the searches, summons was issued to Bhupinder asking him on February 3 along with requisite documents. “In response, he appeared and tendered his statement, wherein he, inter-alia, stated that he is involved in the mining related activities, but took an evasive approach when confronted with incriminating data,” the ED statement said, adding that he was arrested after this.
Bhupinder’s custody with the ED is set to end on Tuesday.Channi has said that the illegal sand mining case in which his nephew has been arrested was being unnecessarily linked to him. “The matter is now in the court. We will accept whatever the court decides. But it is unnecessarily being linked to me,” Channi had said at the time of Bhupinder’s arrest.
The ED case is based on an FIR registered at Rohan Police Station in SBS Nagar, Punjab. The FIR has alleged that a team comprising officials of the mining department, civil administration and police department made a surprise check on March 7, 2018 based on a complaint regarding illegal sand mining. Consequently, it was found that several mines were being excavated by various machines and mining was being carried out beyond the designated area, the ED has claimed.
