New Delhi: Ahead of the Punjab assembly elections, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh Honey under the charges of money laundering in an illegal sand mining case.
According to news agency ANI, Honey was called by the ED for questioning in the land mining case on Thursday, and after hours of questioning, he was arrested in the late evening. According to ABP News sources, Honey will be presented in Jalandhar court at 12 noon today.
The ED had called Honey for questioning on January 23 after the January 18 raid, but he did not attend it on health grounds. He was again called yesterday and later arrested.
The ED conducted raids on Channi and his family last month in which crores in cash and lakhs worth of gold were confiscated by the agency. As per the sources, it was found from Honey’s place. And the agency has questioned two of Honey’s associates as well.
Bhupinder Singh Honey’s arrest has come ahead of the Punjab assembly polls which are due on February 20. Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi is also accused of being involved in illegal sand mining by the BJP and AAP.
Channi has served as Punjab CM for the past four months. He took over the position after Captain Amarinder Singh had stepped down.
The arrest comes at a difficult time for Channi as Congress is yet to declare its chief ministerial candidate on February 6. And there is stiff competition between Channi and Navjot Singh Sidhu for the CM seat.
The result of the assembly elections will be announced on March 10.