Chandigarh: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted searches at several locations in Punjab, including the premises of ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Kulwant Singh in Mohali, as part of the ongoing drugs-linked money laundering probe.
Stating that the premises linked to the Mohali AAP MLA Kulwant Singh, 61, were also being searched, the ED officials said that besides Mohali, several locations in Amritsar and Ludhiana were also being searched in the said investigations.
Case linked with narco & drugs trafficking
According to media reports, the ED investigations which have been initiated under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) are based on a Punjab police case linked with a narcotics and drugs trafficking case.
Meanwhile, reacting to the ED raids, senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikramjit Singh Majithia posted on X: "ED has raided AAP MLA Kulwant Singh in connection with the liquor scam of Delhi and Punjab. After summoning Delhi CM and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, now ED has started working on Punjab link of this liquor scam. This exercise is necessary to expose Rs 550 crore corruption done in Punjab Excise scam in which CM Bhagwant Mann, Harpal Cheema, are main culprits and main beneficiary is Aam Admi Party. @BhagwantMann @ArvindKejriwal."
Who is Kulwant Singh?
It may be recalled that Singh, who is the richest MLA in Punjab with assets worth Rs 1,000 crore, had joined AAP in December 2021, just ahead of state assembly elections in February 2022, got the party ticket and won the Mohali seat.
He became the first mayor of Mohali municipal corporation in 2015 with the support of Congress, though joined SAD in 2017. He was expelled from SAD for anti-party activities in January 2021 after he decided the 2021 civic polls independently which he lost. He soon joined AAP.
Singh under scanner
It may also be recalled that Kulwant Singh was also in news a few days ago after Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit had written to the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to take action against the MLA’s real estate company of which two projects allegedly violated environmental norms. These projects in Mohali are being reportedly developed by Janta Land Promoters Ltd (JLPL), which is owned by Kulwant Singh.
