ED recovers foreign-made weapons, Rs 5 crore in cash, 4-5 kg of gold, 100 liquor bottles during raids in Haryana mining case

Chandigarh, January 5

Foreign-made rifles, about 300 cartridges, Rs 5 crore in cash and more than 100 liquor bottles have been recovered during searches conducted by the Enforcement Directorate against former INLD MLA Dilbag Singh and his associates, official sources said on Friday.

The central agency had launched raids against Singh and Congress MLA from Sonepat Surender Panwar on Thursday as part of a money- laundering case linked to alleged illegal mining in Haryana’s Yamunanagar district and some other regions.

Singh is a former Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA from Yamunanagar.

About Rs 5 crore in cash, “illegal” foreign-made rifles, around 300 cartridges, more than 100 liquor bottles, 4-5 kilograms of gold biscuits and jewellery, and documents pertaining to assets in India and abroad had been recovered from the premises linked to Singh and his associates, sources said.

The searches at some locations are continuing, they said.

Around 20 locations of the two politicians and linked entities in Yamunanagar, Sonepat, Mohali, Faridabad, Chandigarh and Karnal were covered during the raids conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The money-laundering case stems from several FIRs registered by Haryana Police to probe alleged illegal mining of boulders, gravel and sand that took place in the past in Yamunanagar and nearby districts even after the lease expiry period and a ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal.

The central agency is also probing alleged fraud in the ‘e-Ravana’ scheme, an online portal introduced by the Haryana government in 2020 to simplify collection of royalties and taxes and to prevent tax evasion in mining areas.

The activities were being run by a syndicate allegedly linked to the two politicians, ED sources claimed.