The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken Haryana Congress MLA Surender Panwar into custody in conjunction with a money-laundering case tied to illegal mining activities, official sources reported on Saturday.
In January, the federal investigative agency raided Panwar’s premises as part of ongoing inquiries. This operation had previously resulted in the arrest of former Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) legislator Dilbag Singh and one of his associates.
The money-laundering investigation has its roots in multiple FIRs filed by the Haryana Police regarding the illicit extraction of boulders, gravel, and sand in the Yamunanagar region, in defiance of a ban by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Moreover, the ED is scrutinizing a potential fraud in the ‘e-Ravana’ scheme, an online platform launched by the Haryana government in 2020 aimed at streamlining the collection of royalties and taxes, and preventing tax evasion in mining sectors.
