ED raids 11 locations in case against Punjab Police DIG Bhullar

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday conducted searches at multiple locations in Punjab as part of a money laundering probe against suspended state police DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar and entities allegedly linked to him, officials said. They said about 11 premises in Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Patiala, Nabha and Jalandhar belonging to Bhullar, his associates and suspected benamidars (the owner in whose name a benami property is held) are being covered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). A team of central paramilitary force personnel escorted the agency's search teams.
According to ED officials, the operation aims to trace the proceeds of crime, identify benami properties, and secure evidence linked to the laundering of funds allegedly acquired through corruption. The ED’s action is rooted in a predicate case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Bhullar, a 2009-batch IPS officer, was arrested by the CBI in Mohali on October 11, 2025, while serving as DIG, Ropar range.
The arrest followed a trap laid at his Mohali office after a Mandi Gobindgarh-based scrap dealer alleged that Bhullar was demanding monthly bribes—referred to as ‘sewa-paani’—to settle an FIR and allow his business to operate without harassment. While Bhullar had sought a specific bribe of Rs5 lakh through a middleman, the scope of the investigation widened following subsequent raids on his properties.
Bhullar, who remains under suspension, is the son of former Punjab Police chief Mehal Singh Bhullar. Junior Bhullar was considered a low-profile yet influential officer who headed the special investigation team (SIT) that questioned Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia in a drug smuggling case.