Money Laundering : Aide of Channi's nephew arrested

Jalandhar, June 4

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday arrested Kudratdeep, alias Lovie, an aide of former Chief Minister Charanjit S Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Honey, in the alleged case of violation of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The Honey connection

• Kudratdeep has been into ‘illegal’ sand mining business. He had successfully bid for a Nawanshahr mining site and was using Poclain machines illegally
• It was on the basis of an FIR lodged against Kudratdeep in Nawanshahr that Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Honey faced ED case as they were directors in firm

The court of Rupinderjit Chahal, Special Judge, Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases, Jalandhar, had thrice issued non-bailable arrest warrants against him for May 9, 27 and June 7. While the previous two warrants could not be served, today an ED team arrested him from Amritsar. He was later sent to judicial custody till June 7. A hearing on the matter is slated the same day.

Kudratdeep resides in Ludhiana and had allegedly been into illegal sand mining business. It was on the basis of an FIR lodged against Kudratdeep in Nawanshahr that Channi’s nephew faced the ED case. Kudratdeep, Honey and Sandeep Kumar have been directors in firm Providers Overseas Consultancy.

The court had last month taken cognisance of the case and had opined there are sufficient grounds to prima facie assume Kudratdeep, aide of Honey, has committed the offence of money laundering. While Honey had been arrested and is lodged in Kapurthala jail, Kudratdeep was at large.

The Special Public Prosecutor of the ED had submitted in the court Kudratdeep had participated in e-auction conducted by the Directorate of Mining, Department of Industries and Commerce, on May 20, 2017.

He had successfully bid as H1 bidder for the Malikpur mining site at Nawanshahr for an amount for more than Rs 4 crore per annum. Since he was carrying out mining activities using Poclain machines, it was in violation of conditions set by the State-level Environment Impact Assessment Authority.

Kudratdeep in his statement to the ED on March 4 had said the sales proceeds at mining site were received in cash and the leftover cash after bearing expenses was kept by him. The inquiry officials inferred he was in possession of proceeds of crime generated out of illegal sand mining.

The ED officials have complained he underreported sand excavation, extracted sand illegally by issuing fake weighment slips and handled cash generated out of mining activities and was hence involved in the offence of money laundering. The ED officials have also reported in the court they have so far recovered Rs 9.97 crore in the case.