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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched a series of raids across 14 locations in Punjab, including properties owned by former Punjab minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, in connection with a money laundering case linked to the forest scam. This operation, carried out under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), aims to uncover financial irregularities related to the alleged forest scam.
Former minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, forest contractor Harminder Singh Hummy, and others, including press reporter Kamaljit Singh, are among those whose premises are being searched. Dharamsot, a five-time MLA, was previously arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau in a case involving the possession of disproportionate assets, making him the first former minister detained by the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for corruption.
The ED’s inquiry into money laundering by the accused is ongoing, with searches being conducted at Dharamsot’s properties in Amloh, Khanna, and Mohali. The ED has obtained documents from the Punjab Vigilance Bureau, which previously probed the forest scam, registering two cases against Dharamsot and other officials.
Harminder Singh Hummy, a forest department contractor, revealed in a statement under Section 27 of the Indian Evidence Act that he maintained a diary documenting bribes given to senior forest department officers, political leaders, and their intermediaries since 2017. The recovered diary exposed a racket that led to arrests.
The contractor disclosed paying ₹500 per tree to Dharamsot for cutting khair trees, with additional bribes to various officials. Dharamsot allegedly received substantial amounts for facilitating transfers within the department. During his tenure as forest minister, he is said to have amassed ₹1 crore through the issuance of permits for cutting khair trees. The ED’s investigation is aimed at unraveling the full extent of financial improprieties in this forest scam-related case.
