Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday submitted a charge-sheet against 12 accused including the former SAD Minister and now Congressman Sarwan Singh Phillaur, his son Damanbir Singh Phillaur, former Akali leader Avinash Chander, among others in the multi-crore drug racket case.
The charge-sheet, including the names of eight companies under the Prevention of Money laundering Act, was filed in the Mohali CBI courton Wednesday, for which ED’s assistant director Niranjan Singh came especially.
It has been learnt that Singh has informed the Court that only some of the accused, firms and companies have been named in the charge-sheet as the investigation against the remaining are still under progress and collection of evidence is being done.
Besides, the charge-sheet also named other prominent persons, including businessman Jagjit Singh Chahal - currently lodged in Patiala Central Jail, his ludhiana-based brother Paramjit Singh Chahal - currently lodged in Nabha Central Jail, Chahal’s wife Inderjit Kaur; among others.
In the charge-sheet, the prosecution has sought imprisonment of up to 10 years for all 12 accused and owners of eight companies plus confiscation of properties having a market value of Rs 65 crore.
ED has maintained that the investigation has so far revealed that a variety of drugs like heroin, methamphetamine (ice drug), pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and related chemicals had been recovered by the police from the accused and their associates based in India and abroad.
“It has resulted in generation of substantial proceeds of crime which invariably have been parked in movable or immovable assets of various firms and companies. The accused persons and their associates have siphoned off the cash proceeds generated from the drug crime, mixed it with other money for the purpose of layering and the same has been invariably routed into movable or immovable properties or business of firms and companies through their directors and partners,” stated the charge-sheet.
Another supplementary chargesheet was also filed by the ED against former cop-cum-wrestler and alleged drug-lord Jagdish Bhola, who had named the former Minister and Akali leader Bikram Majithia as drug kingpin.