Assets and deposits exceeding a total value of Rs 6 crore have been confiscated during search operations targeting Bharat Bhushan Ashu, a former Punjab minister and Congress leader, along with others. The searches carried out as part of an investigation into a money laundering case linked to an alleged tender scam, have yielded substantial results, as confirmed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday.
The raids that commenced on August 24 were conducted across 25 locations in Punjab. Alongside the properties associated with the ex-minister, the Enforcement Directorate extended its scrutiny to Raman Balasubramanium, a former chairman of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), and several other individuals. These actions were executed in accordance with the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Bharat Bhushan Ashu, previously holding the position of food and civil supplies minister within the Punjab government, currently serves as a working president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee.
In a detailed statement, the federal agency outlined that a total of Rs 4.81 crore, spread across multiple bank accounts of the subjects under investigation, was frozen due to its apparent linkage to unlawful activities. Additionally, the ED seized five immovable properties valued at approximately Rs 1.54 crore, along with four bank lockers. The agency reported the discovery of incriminating documents, digital devices, and Indian currency totalling around Rs 30 lakh across various premises.
The root of the money laundering investigation traces back to an FIR filed by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau, which pertains to the transportation and labour cartage policy of the state government in 2021. Further complaints were received concerning an alleged “scam” within the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), specifically involving the allocation of plots to fictitious individuals. The ED clarified that the tenders were awarded to contractors who approached Minister Ashu through Rakesh Kumar Singla, Chairman of CVC, Food and Civil Supplies. The agency alleges that this preferential treatment granted the contractor allottees unfair advantages, ultimately resulting in financial losses for the government’s coffers.
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