ED raids Haryana Cong MLA, ex-INLD legislator in illegal mining case probe

The money laundering case stems from several FIRs of the Haryana Police registered to probe alleged illegal mining that took place in Yamuna Nagar

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday raided locations of Haryana Congress MLA Surender Panwar, former INLD legislator Dilbag Singh and some others as part of a money laundering case linked to alleged illegal mining in Yamuna Nagar district of the state, official sources said.

As many as 20 locations of the two politicians and linked entities in Yamuna Nagar, Sonipat, Mohali, Faridabad, Chandigarh, and Karnal are being searched under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), they said.

While Panwar is a member of the Haryana Assembly from Sonipat, Singh has represented the Yamuna Nagar seat from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).

The ED teams are escorted by armed personnel of central paramilitary forces.

The money laundering case stems from several FIRs of the Haryana Police registered to probe alleged illegal mining of boulders, gravel and sand that took place in the past in Yamuna Nagar and nearby districts even after the lease expiry period and court's order.

The central agency is also probing alleged fraud in the 'e-ravan' scheme, an online portal that was brought by the Haryana government in 2020 to simplify collection of royalties, and taxes and to prevent tax evasion in mining areas.