Punjab ex-CM Charanjit Channi's nephew among two booked for illegal mining

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 18

The Punjab Police today registered an FIR against Kudratdeep Singh, alias Lovie, and former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh, alias Honey, for allegedly carrying out illegal mining at the Malikpur site in 2017.

The police have sent a notice to Honey to join the investigation, while Kudratdeep, who is lodged in Kapurthala jail, will be brought on a production warrant on Tuesday.

The development came two months after the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in its letter (dated May 9, 2022) to the SBS Nagar SSP, had shared information regarding 73 weightment slips (dated 10.11.2017) and other details of mining more sand than what was reported to the Mining Department at Malikpur.

In late 2021, the Directorate of Enforcement, Jalandhar, had conducted searches on the premises of Honey and Lovie. The ED had then seized various indiscriminating documents, digital devices and Rs 9.97 crore relatable to the proceeds of crime generated by the way of illegal sand mining activities at the Malikpur site.

The spokesperson for the Punjab Police said that following the letter from the ED, the SBS Nagar SSP had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the supervision of the SP (Investigation), SBS Nagar, for further investigation.

After the probe, the SIT found that both accused had conducted illegal mining in that area using heavy machinery, resulting in violation of environment clearance issued by the state-level environment authority, said the spokesperson, adding that the accused persons also used fake slips.

“The police also found details of the output of sand more than what was reported to the Mining Department, which was corroborated by the department through its letter (29.06.2022) referring to lesser output of sand shown to the department leading to financial loss to the state exchequer,” he added.

The FIR has been registered under Sections 21(1) and 4(1) of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulations) Act, Sections 379, 406, 420, 465, 468, 471 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Section 15 of the Environment Protection Act at the Rahon police station.

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