ED seizes huge haul of cash in illegal mining case of Punjab

New Delhi, May 31

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided multiple locations in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in connection with a case linked to illegal mining and seized a huge haul of cash worth Rs 4 crore cash. 

The searches were launched at 14 residential and business premises in Punjab's Hoshiarpur and Fatehgarh Sahib districts and in Himachal's Una district in connection with the case filed under several sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the ED.

The ED stated that during the course of search operations, various incriminating evidence, documents, mobile phones, a laptop and cash amounting to Rs 4.06 crore were seized,

The case was initially probed by Punjab Police, which earlier registered an FIR under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 and various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against an illegal mine operator and his companies.

During the investigation, the federal agency discovered that one Nasib Chand, a proprietor of Shri Ram Stone Crusher, was carrying out "illegal" mining on the land attached by the ED earlier in the Bhola drugs case.

Chand was also carrying out "rampant illegal mining" in some areas of the Ropar and various transactions related to the transfer of funds amongst other people and entities involved in illegal mining have surfaced during the investigation following which the raids were launched.

The Bhola drugs money-laundering case pertains to a multi-crore synthetic narcotics racket that was unearthed in Punjab in 2013-14.

Bhola was arrested by the agency in January 2014 and the case is currently in trial before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Punjab