Punjab tender scam: ED seizes assets worth Rs 6 crore in raids against Bharat Bhushan Ashu, others

New Delhi, August 26: In connection with the alleged tender scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has confiscated assets and deposits worth over Rs 6 crore during searches against former Punjab minister and Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu, among others. The ED carried out these raids on August 24 across 25 locations in Punjab.

In addition to the former minister's property, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also conducted searches at locations belonging to Raman Balasubramanium, a former chairman of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), and several other individuals. These actions were carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Ashu, who previously served as the Minister of Food and Civil Supplies in the Punjab Government, currently holds the position of working president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), in a statement, said a sum of Rs 4.81 crore deposited across various bank accounts belonging to the individuals subjected to the searches was temporarily frozen. These funds were preliminarily recognised as proceeds of illicit activities. In addition to this, the ED also seized five immovable properties valued at around Rs 1.54 crore, along with the discovery of four bank lockers.

The ED added that they also seized "incriminating documents, digital devices, and Indian currency amounting to Rs 30 lakh from various locations."

The money-laundering inquiry originates from an FIR filed by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. This FIR pertains to the state government's transportation and labour cartage policy for 2021, as well as allegations concerning an "LIT scam." The latter involves the allocation of plots to fictitious individuals, as outlined by the ED.