The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, conducted searches at multiple locations in Punjab in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged guava orchards compensation "scam", official sources said.
The ED case was registered after the federal agency took cognisance of a Punjab Vigilance Bureau FIR pertaining to alleged embezzlement of nearly ₹137 crore released as compensation for guava orchards on land acquired by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA).
The premises of some senior government officials and some private persons are being covered, the sources said.
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau had arrested a number of people, including some horticulture department officials, in this case, they said.