Former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi questioned by ED in illegal sand mining case

According to sources, ED questioned Congress leader Channi in Jalandhar on Wednesday in connection with the illegal sand mining case.

The Enforcement Directorate questioned Congress leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in connection with the illegal sand mining case, sources said.

According to the sources, Channi was questioned in Jalandhar on Wednesday for his alleged association with his nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey, who is being probed in a money laundering case.The ED has alleged that Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey was generating crores of rupees through transfer postings of government officials in the state using his political links.According to ED documents accessed by India Today, Bhupinder Singh Honey, during his statement before officials, allegedly confessed that the Rs 10 crore recovery in the case by the agency belonged to him, and he generated the money through transfer postings and illegal sand mining in Punjab.“Bhupinder Singh has explicitly stated in his statement during the search, inter-alia, that all cash which was seized from his residential premises at Ludhiana (Rs. 4.09 crore), Sandeep Kumar's premises at Ludhiana (Rs 1.99 crore) and from the Homeland House Premises at Mohali (Rs. 3.89 crore) actually pertained to him. He admitted to have generated such proceeds of crime through mining related activities including clearance of mining files and transfer of officials,” read the ED document.Sources have told India Today that Bhupinder Singh allegedly earned over Rs 3 crore through the transfer of government officials in Punjab. The ED suspects that Channi’s nephew was using his political influence to provide favourable postings to certain government officials in the state in exchange for money. Sources say, Punjab CM’s nephew generated over Rs 3 crore through transfer postings whereas around Rs 6 to 7 crore through illegal sand mining in the state.On the basis of an FIR registered by the Punjab Police in 2018, the ED filed a money laundering case.The ED has also alleged that firms linked to CM’s nephew were incorporated for the purposes of placement, integration and layering of the proceeds of illegal sand mining activities by Kudratdeep Singh in association with Bhupinder Singh and Sandeep Kumar.The ED had conducted searches on premises linked to Bhupinder Singh and Sandeep Kumar on January 18, which resulted in the recovery of Rs 10 crore.Honey was arrested by the ED in this case.