In a major development in the ongoing Chandigarh bribery scandal, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court has ordered the freezing of 26 bank accounts belonging to suspended Punjab Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Harcharan Singh Bhullar and his immediate family members. The judicial directive stipulates that these financial accounts will remain inaccessible until the comprehensive investigation into the corruption nexus is concluded.
Concurrently, the court turned down a plea filed by the federal probe agency seeking day-to-day hearings in the matter.
The legal entanglements for the co-accused, identified as middleman Krishnu Sharda, have also intensified significantly with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiating a parallel financial investigation. This development follows extensive law enforcement operations during which coordinated raids were executed across 11 strategic locations, including the Chandigarh residence of the suspended top cop.
Sources close to the development indicated that the Enforcement Directorate is slated to issue formal summons to several high-ranking Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) bureaucrats from Punjab for active questioning. In a related judicial milestone, the special court approved the CBI’s application to launch a formal Preliminary Enquiry (PE), clearing legal hurdles for advanced punitive actions. This follows the court’s rejection of a petition filed by DIG Bhullar and Sharda that challenged the initial cognizance order.
The federal investigative agency has reportedly unearthed fresh and compelling evidence pointing toward the direct involvement of multiple bureaucrats. Following five days of initial custodial interrogation of Bhullar, investigators discovered that a network of senior officers allegedly channeled illicit funds into real estate via a prominent Patiala-based property dealer.
The interrogation brought to light a list of 14 high-profile officials under suspicion, comprising 10 IPS and four IAS officers. Subsequent verification revealed that out of the ten implicated police chiefs, eight continue to hold sensitive field postings across Punjab, while two are positioned at the state police academy.
The four administrative officers are reportedly linked to financial activities centered in Mandi Gobindgarh. This discovery prompted immediate CBI raids on the property dealer’s offices and residences in Patiala and Ludhiana, resulting in the seizure of incriminating documents.
Furthermore, a detailed digital forensic analysis of Krishnu Sharda’s mobile phone and connected electronic devices has revealed an expansive network comprising nearly 50 public servants, including prominent IAS and IPS officers.
According to a progress report submitted by the CBI before the court, Sharda acted as a strategic conduit who manipulated complex bureaucratic processes.
The data indicate his involvement extended far beyond influencing criminal investigations; he allegedly brokered official transfers, facilitated weapon licensing, arranged for the registration of selective First Information Reports (FIRs), and engineered the arbitrary dismissal of existing criminal cases for gratification. Investigations into the deep-seated nexus are currently underway as agencies prepare to issue notices to the identified officers.