The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday searched the residence of Gurpreet Singh Saini, nephew of Punjab revenue minister and Sahnewal MLA Hardeep Singh Mundian, in Sahnewal as its search operation at the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) headquarters in Phase 8, Mohali, continued for the second day.
The AAP claimed that the BJP had lost political ground in the state and was resorting to such tactics. ED officials broke open the locks to move inside to look for relevant documents and material in the money-laundering, say reports. The agency is also scrutinising records of GMADA and the Punjab government’s Housing and Urban Development Department. Compensation payments made in connection with land acquisition are also under scrutiny. The agency is probing alleged financial benefits extended to companies linked to Tirupati Infraprojects in connection with GMADA properties. At the GMADA headquarters, ED officials continued to examine documents and question officials in connection with various transactions and decisions of the authority. The Centre is trying to disrupt GMADA’s functioning and create hurdles for the Bhagwant Mann government’s welfare schemes, including the Mawan Dheeyan Satkar Yojana. Central agencies cannot manufacture political support for the BJP in Punjab, the party alleged in a statement.
The ED team, led by a senior-rank official, reached outside Kothi no 926, Sector 39, Chandigarh, where former Delhi minister, Satyendar Jain often resides, according to reports. ED officials have estimated that the suspected undue gains to the companies and potential loss to the government exchequer could exceed ₹ 100 crore. The written statement was issued by the AAP following searches carried out by the ED at GMADA office in Mohali, the residence of a cabinet minister’s nephew in Ludhiana, and a government bungalow in Sector 39 of Chandigarh where a senior party functionary from Delhi resides whenever he is in the city.
The ED is examining the alleged role of a private consultancy firm that purportedly worked closely with certain GMADA officials and facilitated irregularities in land acquisition, according to officials familiar with the investigation. Officials familiar with the proceedings said scrutiny of the records was still underway and the agency was likely to continue its examination on Thursday.
