05 February,2022 08:52 AM IST | New Delhi | Agencies
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and RLD president Jayant Chaudhary exchange greetings with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi during campaigning, in Bulandshahr on Thursday. Pic/PTI
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Bhupinder Singh alias Honey, nephew of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, in a money laundering case linked to alleged illegal sand mining in the border state, officials said on Friday.
The development comes days before Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is likely to announce the party's chief ministerial candidate in the poll-bound state. Gandhi is expected to make this announcement during his virtual rally in Ludhiana on Sunday and Channi is stated to be the front runner.
ED officials said Honey was arrested under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) late Thursday night after several hours of questioning at the agency's office in Jalandhar.
Honey is the son of Channi's sister-in-law. On January 18, the agency had raided his premises and claimed to have seized about R8 crore cash and "incriminating" documents. Property belonging to a few others were also raided. Punjab will go to polls on February 20.
Channi had said that as kin of Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee were raided during the Assembly polls in that state, the "same pattern" was being followed in Punjab.
PM Narendra Modi's virtual rally, which was scheduled to be held in Uttarakhand on Friday, was cancelled due to bad weather, the BJP said. Asked how weather could affect an online rally, a leader said arrangements had been made at 56 places in Almora Parliamentary constituency, for 1,000 people each.
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