ED raid sparks drama in Mohali as cash bags hurled from tower

Bundles of Rs 500 notes came fluttering down from the ninth floor of Western Towers in Mohali’s Sector 127 on the morning of Thursday, 7 May, leaving residents and morning walkers stunned during an Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid at the residential complex near Kharar.

The ED was conducting searches at the residence of IT professional Nitin Gohal in Chajju Majra, Mohali, as part of a wider crackdown across the tri-city. According to sources, Gohal is considered close to an aide of Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann.

Officials claimed that during the raid, two bags allegedly containing cash were thrown from the ninth-floor apartment. Residents and eyewitnesses said currency notes were seen scattered across the society premises soon afterwards. ED officials reportedly chased and apprehended a driver who allegedly attempted to flee with one of the bags. A Punjab government spokesperson later said approximately Rs 21 lakh in cash had been recovered and that the matter remained under investigation.

The raids were not limited to Mohali alone. ED teams simultaneously conducted searches at nearly a dozen locations across Mohali, Chandigarh and Patiala, including a house in Chandigarh’s Sector 16 and premises linked to Bir Devinder Singh alias Biru in Mohali. Sources claimed Biru too was considered close to a senior political functionary.

According to ED sources, the searches are linked to alleged large-scale fraud in obtaining change of land use (CLU) licences from the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA). Investigators suspect that builders and developers collected hundreds of crores from the public while defaulting on dues owed to GMADA.

Among the projects and firms reportedly under the scanner are Suntec City, promoter Ajay Sehgal, ABS Townships Pvt Ltd, Altus Builders and Dhir Constructions. ED sources alleged that Gohal helped certain builders secure political protection and facilitated defaults on payments owed to GMADA.

Reacting to the developments, Mann distanced himself from the individuals under investigation. “They are in connection with someone’s old company. They can check anywhere,” he told reporters in Amritsar.

Punjab's Aam Aadmi Party government also denied claims that the accused had close links with the chief minister’s office, stating that merely being photographed with AAP leaders did not establish proximity.

Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa targeted the government over the ED action. “If ED has started the raids, the investigation must reach its logical conclusion. It should not be sent to cold storage because of some political conclusion,” Bajwa told reporters.

The latest searches come amid increasing scrutiny of leaders and individuals linked to the ruling AAP in Punjab. Last month too, the ED had conducted raids linked to Punjab cabinet minister Sanjeev Arora in connection with alleged financial irregularities and suspected money laundering tied to real-estate ventures.