Patiala, November 4 — A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team on Monday raided the residence of Bhupinder Singh, a prominent real estate dealer and owner of BH Properties in Patiala, in connection with the ongoing probe against suspended Ropar Range DIG Harcharan Singh Bhullar.
Officials said the raid began around 7:30 am at Singh’s Moti Bagh residence and continued for several hours. Local police were deployed outside the property to maintain order and assist the central team during the operation. “Once we received an intimation about the CBI action, policemen were stationed outside for security,” a senior police officer said.
According to sources, the CBI move came after Bhullar, already arrested in a bribery case, reportedly mentioned the name of BH Properties during questioning. Some documents recovered earlier by investigators are also said to have linked the firm to financial transactions under scrutiny.
While officials remained tightlipped about what was recovered during Monday’s search, sources confirmed that no one was allowed to enter or exit the property until the operation was complete.
Bhupinder Singh, who owns several real estate projects in Patiala and Mohali, is known to be well-connected with political and police circles in Punjab and Chandigarh.
The CBI’s raid comes a day after a Mohali court dismissed as “infructuous” a Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) plea seeking a production warrant against DIG Bhullar in a disproportionate assets case. The CBI had termed the Vigilance Bureau’s attempt as one meant to “frustrate its ongoing investigation.”
Bhullar, arrested by the CBI on October 16 in a Rs 8-lakh bribery case, was already in judicial custody when the Vigilance Bureau moved its application. Following his arrest, investigators seized Rs 7.5 crore in cash, 2.5 kg of gold jewellery, 26 luxury watches, two high-end cars, 100 litres of liquor, and documents pertaining to at least 50 immovable assets.
The DIG’s lawyer has contested the recoveries, asserting they were part of “ancestral wealth” and not ill-gotten gains.
In the past two weeks, Bhullar has faced four separate cases — under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the Excise Act, and two FIRs related to disproportionate assets, one registered by the CBI and another by the Vigilance Bureau. Monday’s developments suggest that the corruption probe may widen further as investigators trace the money trail beyond the officer’s personal holdings.
Read more: Court Dismisses Vigilance Bureau Plea for Production Warrant of Suspended DIG Bhullar
