Retired ED officer alleges interference in high-profile cases in letter to finance minister

Jalandhar: Retired Deputy Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Niranjan Singh, known for convicting drug smugglers Jagdish Bhola and Raja Kandola under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), has written to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, alleging interference in key investigations.

In a 65-page letter, Singh claimed that senior officials prevented him from probing several high-profile cases, including those involving inspector Inderjit Singh, AIG Raj Jit Singh, the illegal liquor cases during the Covid period that led to over 130 deaths, and an irrigation scam allegedly involving three retired IAS officers and politicians.

Singh alleged that his seniors advised him not to investigate certain cases to protect influential individuals. He claimed that at least 10 Congress MLAs, a minister, and associates of the then chief minister were linked to the 2020 illicit liquor case. He stated that the case was transferred from him to the ED headquarters in New Delhi, hampering the investigation.

“During my probe, I found that illicit liquor mafias were not only running illegal factories but also producing Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) outside their business premises by diverting raw materials during the lockdown,” Singh wrote. He asserted that by shifting the investigation out of Punjab, those responsible for the deaths could not be held accountable.

Singh further alleged that interference in his work began after he summoned then-minister Bikram Majithia for questioning in the Jagdish Bhola drug case in December 2014. He claimed a senior ED official from Delhi was present during the investigation, and shortly after the summons, he was transferred to Kolkata.

The former ED officer also named 14 of his team members who were allegedly transferred to obstruct the probe. Singh urged the finance minister to take action against officials who distanced him from crucial investigations.