The CBI has taken major action against Punjab’s Rupnagar Range DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar, who was caught accepting a bribe of ₹5 lakh from a scrap dealer. The CBI has frozen nearly a dozen of his bank accounts, preventing any transactions from taking place. On Saturday, CBI teams traveled to Punjab and other states to gather records of DIG Bhullar’s assets.
The CBI also discovered several benami properties owned by DIG Bhullar, and the agency has taken full custody of them. The CBI has also written to banks and had his lockers sealed to prevent the items inside them from being taken out. The CBI will soon send notices to Bhullar’s gunman and staff for questioning. The investigation has revealed that Bhullar kept crores of rupees in cash in his crockery cabinet, storeroom, and suitcases under his bed. Additionally, a special compartment was created for gold jewelry. The CBI recovered ₹7.5 crore from five different locations, as well as bags containing clothes on top and bundles of ₹500 notes on the bottom. The CBI investigation also revealed that DIG Bhullar received lakhs of rupees as “monthly” allowance. He bypassed the SSP and received this money through his personal intermediaries.
A restless night in jail
DIG Bhullar spent the night awake in his barracks at Burail Jail. According to sources, he paced restlessly throughout the night. IPS officers Zahoor Zaidi (convicted in the Gudiya murder case) and IPS Malvinder Singh Sidhu (convicted in the son-in-law’s murder case) who were in the barracks with him repeatedly urged him to rest, but Bhullar tossed and turned throughout the night. He was provided with a mattress and pillow on the floor in the barracks. This barrack only houses prisoners over 50 years of age and with good conduct. “Krishnu,” a Nabha resident and middleman arrested in the bribery case along with Bhullar, is housed in a separate barrack.
CBI Finds Documents of 50 Benami and Immovable Properties
During the investigation, the CBI has uncovered documents of 50 immovable and immovable properties belonging to DIG Bhullar, which have reached ₹120 crore. Documents of 50 immovable and benami properties in his and his family’s names have been found. The CBI recovered ₹7.5 crore in cash, 2.5 kg of gold and jewelry, 26 luxury watches, 4 weapons, and 100 cartridges from his homes and other locations. Additionally, ₹5.7 lakh in cash, 9 cases (108 bottles) of imported liquor, and 17 cartridges were seized from his farmhouse in Samrala. The CBI also found keys to lockers in several private banks.
DIG Bhullar owns several flats, farmhouses, and land in Punjab, Chandigarh, and Ludhiana. His major assets include:
a 6-kanal farmhouse in Kot Kalan village, Jalandhar;
flats in Sector 39-B and Sector 40-B, Chandigarh;
3 kanal (18 marla) land in Ayali Khurd, Ludhiana;
5 kanal (10 marla) land in Khajurala, Kapurthala; and property shares in private builder projects in Mohali, Patiala, and Barnala.
