States » NorthPosted at: Nov 4 2026 12:49PM


ED searches 7 Punjab locations in land compensation fraud probe, raids premises linked to AAP MLA

Neeraj Bali
Chandigarh, Nov 4 (UNI) India's Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched seven premises across Punjab on Wednesday in a money-laundering investigation linked to alleged fraudulent land transfers and wrongful payment of compensation for a national highway project, with properties associated with ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Amandeep Kaur Arora among those targeted.
The searches brought the federal agency's investigation into the spotlight just days after Arora, who represents the Moga constituency, was nominated by the AAP to contest the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
ED officials said the investigation concerned the alleged fraudulent acquisition of government and institutional properties, manipulation of land ownership records, and misappropriation of public funds in Moga district.
The case originated from an FIR registered by the Punjab Police on June 16, 2024, concerning the alleged fraudulent mutation of government land acquired for National Highway 754A and the irregular disbursement of compensation.
The ED subsequently registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) to investigate suspected money laundering arising from the alleged offences.
Investigators searched Arora's residence in Moga and a property at Icon Flats on the Moga-Ludhiana road. Another team visited the home of her maternal relatives at Libra village near Khanna in Ludhiana district.
Central Reserve Police Force personnel secured the premises during the searches, which involved examination of property documents, financial records and other material potentially relevant to the investigation.
At the Khanna property, investigators reportedly took possession of family members' mobile phones and examined documents. The ED had not immediately confirmed any seizures or disclosed what evidence, if any, had been recovered.
The agency also had not specified whether Arora was an accused in the underlying case or explained the precise nature of her alleged connection to the transactions under investigation.
The operation prompted an immediate political backlash in Moga, where AAP workers gathered outside the legislator's residence and protested against the federal agency.
Moga senior deputy mayor Kala Bajaj and AAP urban unit president Prem Chand Chakkiwala accused the BJP-led central government of using the investigation to pressure Arora into joining the opposition party.
"The BJP is losing in Punjab. The Aam Aadmi Party is going to form the government again," Chakkiwala said.
He alleged that the searches were politically motivated and intended to intimidate the legislator after she was selected to contest the next election.
The allegations could not be independently verified. There was no immediate response from the BJP to the accusations.
The searches come at a politically sensitive time for the AAP, which has begun announcing candidates for the 117-member Punjab Assembly ahead of elections due in 2027.
Arora, who won the Moga seat in 2022 and also heads the AAP's Punjab women's wing, was included in the party's first list of 40 candidates released on October 31.
The ED action adds to political tensions between the AAP government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the BJP-led central government.
However, the investigation itself relates to alleged irregularities in government land records and compensation payments, and the ED has not publicly established any wrongdoing by Arora.
The agency has yet to disclose the total amount of public money allegedly misappropriated, the number of suspected beneficiaries or whether further searches or arrests are planned.
The investigation is continuing.
UNI NB RSA
High Court questions demolitions after Punjab activist's murder as police book up to 1,200 over mob violence
Neeraj Bali Chandigarh, Nov 4 - The Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought an explanation from the Punjab government over the demolition of properties linked to a suspect in the killing of anti-drug activist Parvinder Singh Jhota, as police registered a case against up to 1,200 unidentified people over mob violence that followed the murder in Mansa last month.
The twin developments have put the state's response to the October 13 killing under scrutiny, with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) pursuing the murder investigation while local police examine the destruction of a medical store belonging to the principal accused.
A division bench of Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor directed the state government to submit a detailed report on the action taken after Jhota's killing, including the legal authority under which properties associated with the accused were demolished.
The directions came during the hearing of a suo motu public interest litigation and a connected petition filed by Labh Singh. The court fixed December 15 for further hearing.
The proceedings have brought into focus two separate questions: who was responsible for the activist's killing and whether the subsequent destruction of private property complied with the law.
Jhota, who had campaigned against the alleged illegal sale of pharmaceutical drugs, was shot dead at a medical store in Mansa on October 13. Four other people were injured in the shooting.
Police identified the shop's proprietor, Ashwani Kumar, as the principal accused and subsequently arrested him in Rajasthan.
The killing sparked protests in Mansa, where an angry crowd attacked Kumar's medical store the following day, damaging the premises and setting them on fire.
Part of a residential property linked to Kumar was also demolished in an operation involving the local administration, according to accounts of the incident.
Police have now registered a separate case against an estimated 1,000 to 1,200 unidentified people in connection with the destruction of the medical store.
Investigators are examining CCTV footage and other video recordings to establish who participated in the violence. The number mentioned in the case does not represent arrests or individually identified suspects.
The CBI, which took over the murder investigation following a decision by the Punjab government on October 20, returned to the damaged commercial premises on Wednesday as debris-clearing work began in the presence of investigators and police officials.
An earthmoving machine was deployed at the site. The precise investigative purpose of the clearance and whether any additional evidence was recovered were not immediately disclosed.
The central agency has already examined the shooting scene with forensic specialists, questioned witnesses and collected records from Punjab Police.
Its investigation has also extended to allegations concerning the illegal sale of restricted pharmaceutical drugs, the issue that Jhota had reportedly raised before the fatal confrontation.
Apart from Kumar, police subsequently named his wife Neelam Rani and two others, Vipin Garg and Ladi, in connection with the murder case.
The CBI registered its own FIR on October 22, invoking provisions relating to murder, attempted murder, criminal conspiracy and firearms offences.
The agency has recorded statements from Jhota's family members, including his father Bhim Singh, wife Manpreet Kaur and mother Amarjit Kaur, and examined premises associated with the accused.
During the High Court proceedings, senior advocate Baltej Singh Sidhu, appearing with advocates Himmat Singh Sidhu, Mannat Khurana and Arjun Singh, placed details of the killing and subsequent developments before the bench.
The court's request for information about the demolitions does not amount to a finding that the authorities acted unlawfully. It requires the government to explain the actions taken and the legal procedures followed.
The case now involves parallel inquiries into the murder, the violence that followed and the circumstances surrounding the demolition of properties linked to the accused.
The Punjab government is expected to provide its account of these actions when the matter returns to the High Court on December 15.
UNI NB
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Tags: #ED searches 7 Punjab locations in land compensation fraud probe# raids premises linked to AAP MLA
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