Today, ED officials arrested former Haryana MLA Dilbag Singh and his associate Kulwinder Singh in connection with an alleged money laundering probe tied to illegal mining activities, as per official sources.

On January 4, the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids on Dilbag Singh, a former legislator of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) from the Yamuna Nagar assembly seat, and Surender Panwar, a Congress MLA from Sonipat, along with their associated entities. These searches, spanning five days, concluded on Monday.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches across approximately 20 locations. Subsequently, the former Haryana MLA and his associate were arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). They are scheduled to appear before a local court, where the agency intends to request their extended custody not only in the illegal mining case but also in a new case involving the possession of illegal firearms.

During the searches conducted by the ED at the properties of Dilbag Singh and associated individuals, the agency recovered at least five rifles deemed illegal, along with 300 bullets and cartridges. Additionally, the search yielded over a hundred liquor bottles and a substantial amount of Rs 5 crore in cash.

While conducting the searches, the central agency discovered that the licenses for the weapons recovered had expired.

Consequently, an FIR was filed by the agency at the Pratap Nagar police station during the course of their investigation.

The ED shared details regarding the recovery of numerous liquor bottles with the Haryana excise department. As a result, the excise department filed a separate police complaint, alleging the illegal storage of these bottles.

The money laundering case originated from multiple FIRs filed by the Haryana Police. These FIRs aimed to investigate the purported illegal mining activities involving boulders, gravel, and sand in Yamuna Nagar and neighboring districts. These activities allegedly persisted beyond the lease expiry period and despite a ban enforced by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

The central agency is conducting an investigation into suspected fraud within the 'e-Ravana' scheme, an online portal implemented by the Haryana government in 2020. The portal aimed to streamline the collection of royalties and taxes while curbing tax evasion in mining regions. Sources within the ED suggested that these operations were orchestrated by a syndicate purportedly associated with the two politicians under scrutiny.