On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted extensive searches at 11 locations across Punjab, including Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Patiala, Nabha, and Jalandhar, as part of an investigation into former Punjab Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar. These raids are linked to allegations of money laundering and are aimed at tracing proceeds of crime and identifying benami assets. The ED's actions stem from predicate offences registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Chandigarh, which involve accusations of illegal gratification through a middleman for settling a criminal case. In October 2022, the CBI arrested Bhullar for allegedly demanding a bribe of ₹5 lakh (approximately $6,000 USD) and subsequently uncovered assets worth ₹7.5 crore (approximately $900,000 USD), including cash, gold, luxury watches, and high-end vehicles. Bhullar, a 2009-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, is facing serious charges related to disproportionate assets and corruption.