Chandigarh, May 7 (IANS) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday demanded an independent probe into the manner in which confidants of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s OSD had collected money from builders, besides running illegal sand mining and liquor rackets.

Former Cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia said the manner in which the confidants of the Chief Minister’s OSD, Rajbir Ghuman, had thrown bagful of money in the air after their ninth-floor apartment was raided by the Enforcement Directorate, had blown the lid off the loot and its resources.

He added, “Only a thorough probe could uncover the kingpins behind these rackets.”

Majithia said the OSD and his associates, along with senior officers, were involved in acquiring land for cheap from farmers and selling off the same to builders for kickbacks. Besides, members of this “gang were also guilty of allowing illegal sand mining to be done on multiple lots without any sort of clearance.” “These same persons are also involved in running a liquor mafia dealing with illegal liquor,” he said in a statement.

The SAD leader said the people whom the ED had raided on Thursday were Nitin Gohal, Birdevinder Singh and Pritpal Dhindsa, who were close associates of CM’s OSD Ghuman. “All three persons are joined at the hip with Rajbir Ghuman and even use each other’s cars, phones, homes and offices.”

Asserting that the money being looted from Punjab in this manner was being parked in Australia and Canada by conducting ‘hawala’ transactions, Majithia said, “It is clear that Ghuman is the kingpin of this racket. He has amassed so much wealth that he has built a bunker inside his home in Gharachon village. The OSD’s residence, as well as all his properties, as well as those of his aides, should be searched to recover their ill-gotten wealth”.

He also demanded that a lookout notice should be issued against the OSD and his associates so that they would not flee the country. Majithia also demanded that the financial status of Ghuman and his associates should be probed to ascertain how persons who did not have scooters earlier were now driving Land Cruisers.

He said the charge that these people were indulging in ‘hawala’ transactions on behalf of the Chief Minister and AAP should also be probed “The probe should also go into the properties and land purchased in Australia and other countries through these transactions,” Majithia added.

–IANS

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