Illegal sand mining case: ED files charge sheet against Charanjit Channi's nephew

The ED has alleged that Bhupinder Singh Honey was the director of a firm set up to launder money obtained by illegal sand mining.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet against Bhupinder Singh Honey, the nephew of former Chief Minister of Punjab, Charanjit Singh Channi, in a money laundering case related to illegal sand mining other activities. 

The charges are Section 3 (offence of money laundering), section 4 (punishment for money laundering), section 44 (offences triable by special courts) and section 45 (offences to be cognisable and non-bailable), of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), against Bhupinder Singh Honey.

The ED has alleged that Bhupinder Singh Honey was the director of a firm set up to launder money obtained by illegal sand mining. Earlier last year, ED officers recovered Rs 10 crore during search operations at properties held by the former Punjab chief minister's nephew.

Officials also collected and seized many papers connected to Kudratdeep Singh's Malikpur Mine's mining activities and pages containing handwritten cash entries.

In further investigation, Punjab resident Kudratdeep Singh was involved in illegal sand mining at several places in the state. In 2017, after an FIR was lodged against, the following year, a company named Providers Overseas Consultants Private Limited was registered in which Kudratdeep Singh was a reported shareholder. In contrast, Bhupinder Singh Honey and his alleged associate  Sandeep Kumar were made company directors. All three people held 33.33 per cent stakes in the company. 

The ED also believes Channi's nephew used his political connections to get favourable postings for government personnel in exchange for millions of rupees.