Rajdeep Singh Nagra, an aide to former Punjab food and civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, has been arrested in a significant Rs2,000-crore money-laundering case related to foodgrain transportation. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out raids at various locations in Khanna and Ikolaha village prior to formally taking Nagra into custody. He has been remanded to seven days of ED custody by a court in Jalandhar.
The investigation has unveiled Nagra’s role in the scheme, with critical evidence obtained during the interrogation of Ashu. Authorities confiscated incriminating documents, financial records amounting to Rs3 crore, and digital devices from Nagra’s residences.
Bharat Bhushan Ashu himself was arrested earlier on August 1, following ten days in custody. The ED’s inquiry stemmed from a case registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on August 16, 2022. Previous operations had already led to the discovery of Rs6 crore, multiple bank lockers, and various other incriminating materials associated with Ashu and his accomplices, who are accused of committing fraud through irregularities in labor and transportation tenders, resulting in considerable losses to the state treasury.