Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday questioned former Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi for over six hours in connection with an alleged illegal sand mining case, said officials.
The officials on Thursday said ED recorded the statement of Channi under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and he left the ED’s zonal office in Jalandhar late on Wednesday night.
Channi is accused of earning crores of rupees from illegal sand mining and transfer-posting of officials. Earlier, the ED has already taken strict action against Channi's nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey.
Navjot Singh Sidhu, in this regard, tweeted, "My fight was for Punjab and not for sand … Those who ran the land, sand and liquor mafia let down Punjab for selfish vested interests by looting the exchequer…. It is either Punjab or the Mafia in the present financial scenario! The fight continues…"
Punjab CM's nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey earned Rs 325 crores through money laundering by using his name. Enforcement Directorate (ED) revealed that Bhupinder Singh Honey, the nephew of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, allegedly used to take money from officials in lieu of their choice of transfer and posting.
Bhupinder Singh alias Honey was arrested on February 4 with regards to an illegal sand mining case. On its part, the ED claims that cash of Rs 10 crore and valuables have been recovered in these raids conducted on Jan 18 and 19.