ED chargesheets Ex-CM Channi’s nephew in sand mining case

Jalandhar, April 3

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge-sheet in a designated court here against former Chief Minister Charanjit Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey and his aide in an alleged illegal sand mining case.

The chargesheet was filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act through lawyer Lokesh Narang on March 31, two months after Honey’s arrest by the investigation agency on February 3 night, ahead of the Punjab Assembly polls.

Case dates back to 2018

• Bhupinder Singh Honey and Kudratdeep Singh have been charged under Sections 3 (money laundering), 4 (punishment), 44 (trial by special courts) and 45 (non-bailable offence) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act
• Honey is lodged at Kapurthala jail ever since his arrest on February 3. The ED had seized Rs10 crore worth of valuables, digital devices and cash during raids on January 18
• It had initiated probe on the basis of an FIR lodged in Nawanshahr under the IPC and Mines and Minerals (Regulationof Development) Act on March 7, 2018

Honey along with his partner Kudratdeep Singh, alias Lovie, faces charges under Sections 3 (offence of money laundering), 4 (punishment for money laundering), 44 (offences that can be tried by special courts) and 45 (offences to be cognisable and non-bailable) of the PMLA. The court has set April 6 as the next date of hearing. Honey is lodged in the Kapurthala jail.

Prior to Honey’s arrest, the ED had recovered Rs 10 crore worth of valuable items, digital devices and cash during raids conducted on the business and residential premises of Kudratdeep and other directors of M/s Providers Overseas Consultants Pvt Ltd, including Honey and Sandeep Kumar, at Ludhiana, Mohali and other locations on January 18.

The ED had initiated money laundering investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Rahon police station in Nawanshahr under various Sections of IPC and Mines and Minerals (Regulation of Development) Act on March 7, 2018, against Kudratdeep and others.

Several tippers, trucks, earthmovers, etc. were seized by the investigating team. The seized tipper/trucks were also found to be overloaded with sand.

The seized weighment slips bearing stamps had not been issued by the office concerned and were forged. Subsequently, the mining operation at the Malikpur mining site (belonging to Kudratdeep) and grant of slips were stopped by the team. As per the FIR, apart from Malikpur, illegal activities were also carried out at Burjtahl Das, Barsal, Lalewal, Mandala and Khosa.

The statements of Kudratdeep, Honey, Santokh Singh (father of Honey) and Sandeep were recorded. Honey admitted to have received the seized cash in lieu of facilitation in sand mining operations and transfer/postings of officials.

Summons were issued to Honey for his personal appearance on February 3 along with requisite documents. In response, he appeared and tendered his statement, wherein he, inter-alia, stated he was involved in the mining-related activities, but took an evasive approach when confronted with incriminating data. He was arrested the same night by the ED and produced in the court the next day.