New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has detained Haryana Congress MLA Surender Panwar in connection with a money-laundering case linked to illegal mining activities, police said on Saturday. Panwar, aged 55, was apprehended in Gurugram during the early hours and is slated to appear before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ambala, where the ED intends to request a custodial remand.
The investigation into Panwar's involvement began following raids on his premises earlier this year, prompted by allegations of large-scale illegal mining in the Yamunanagar region of Haryana. Previously, the ED had arrested former Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) legislator Dilbag Singh and associate Kulwinder Singh in connection with the same case.
The genesis of the money-laundering allegations stems from multiple FIRs filed by the Haryana Police, focusing on the purported illegal extortion of boulders, gravel, and sand despite a ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
The ED's probe has also extended to scrutinising a suspected fraud associated with the 'e-Ravana' scheme, an online platform implemented by the Haryana government in 2020 to streamline revenue collection and combat tax evasion within mining zones.
According to estimates by the ED, the illicit mining operations allegedly yielded illicit funds amounting to approximately Rs 400-500 crore over recent years.
The development comes at a politically sensitive time as Haryana gears up for assembly elections later this year. The case underscores ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to address corruption and illegal activities in the state's mining sector.
