Desk Correspondent , Chandigarh - The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted searches at 11 locations across Punjab as part of a money-laundering investigation into suspended Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar. The raids targeted premises in Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Patiala, Nabha, and Jalandhar linked to the 2009-batch IPS officer, his associates, and suspected benamidars. The operation aims to trace the proceeds of crime and identify assets allegedly acquired through corruption and bribery during his tenure.

The ED’s action stems from a predicate case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which arrested Bhullar in October 2025. He was apprehended while serving as DIG, Ropar range, after allegedly demanding a ₹5 lakh bribe (as part of an ₹8 lakh demand) from a scrap dealer to settle a police case. Subsequent CBI raids last year led to the recovery of substantial unaccounted wealth, including ₹7.5 crore in cash, 2.5 kg of gold jewelry, 26 luxury watches, and documents for over 50 immovable properties, including a 55-acre farmhouse.

Bhullar remains under suspension as federal agencies scrutinize a complex web of financial transactions and "sewa-paani" (bribe) networks. Investigators are currently examining digital devices, diaries, and investment records seized during the latest searches to establish a nexus between the officer and various private fronts. The probe has now expanded into a full-scale Disproportionate Assets (DA) case, with the ED focusing on how illicit funds were integrated into the formal economy through real estate and benami holdings.