ED accuses Punjab police of stalling FIR registration, turns down request for further records
In a statement responding to the Punjab government's position on the FIR, the ED said it had shared the evidence with the Punjab DGP under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on July 30 and August 7.
PTC News Desk: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday accused the Punjab Police of delaying the registration of an FIR despite being given "detailed evidence" about an alleged network involving police transfers, hawala transactions and land deals.
In a statement responding to the Punjab government's position on the FIR, the ED said it had shared the evidence with the Punjab DGP under Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on July 30 and August 7.
According to the ED, the evidence showed the alleged involvement of middleman Nitin Gohal. The agency claimed that Gohal collected requests for police transfers, obtained pre-signed transfer orders, helped arrange hawala transactions, facilitated land deals and handled cash payments for travel and hotel expenses.
The ED said that despite sending further communications, Punjab Police officials did not register an FIR, which the agency said was a mandatory legal requirement.
The agency also alleged that when its representative visited the Punjab Police on September 1 to personally hand over the investigation reports, officials did not provide any acknowledgement.
The ED said it was therefore forced to send the documents officially through email.
The agency has now approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking its intervention. The ED has argued that the state police failed to take action even after receiving specific evidence related to the alleged activities.
The ED said the information was shared only after a detailed examination and investigation, followed by an assessment and approval from the competent authority. The agency said it shared the material after being satisfied that it showed possible violations of laws that come under the ED's jurisdiction.
The response came after the Punjab Bureau of Investigation (BoI), in a letter dated August 28, asked the ED to send an authorised officer along with the complete case records before the state police registered an FIR.
The BoI had also sought the original electronic data, documents showing how the evidence was handled and preserved, investigation reports prepared by the ED and statements recorded during the probe.
The ED, however, said Section 66(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) requires it to share such information with the concerned agency so that necessary action can be taken.