ED Seizes ₹30-Crore Assets in Illegal Mining Probe

Fast Summary

• The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached 44 immovable properties worth ₹30 crore, which include over 85 acres of agricultural land in Punjab.
• The properties belong to Kuldeep Singh makkar, Angad Singh Makkar, Puneet singh makkar, and their business entities.
• The ED’s investigation stems from allegations of illegal mining registered by Haryana Police involving sand and boulder-gravel mining beyond permissible limits using fake e-Rawanas.
• Illegal mining activities are estimated at ₹300 crore; Angad singh Makkar & family allegedly have a share exceeding ₹110 crore.
• Cash proceeds from mined minerals were distributed among syndicate members in an organized manner.
• Previously, the ED arrested Dilbag Singh, Kulwinder Singh, Surender Panwar, and Angad Singh Makkar. Assets worth ₹122 crore had been provisionally attached earlier under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The ED’s crackdown on illegal mining syndicates highlights India’s intensified focus on curbing resource-related corruption and environmental exploitation across states like Punjab and Haryana. With alleged financial transactions exceeding hundreds of crores, this case underscores concerns about regulatory failures enabling large-scale unapproved operations such as unauthorized land usage for mineral extraction beyond legal boundaries.

Provisional asset attachment reflects ongoing momentum under anti-money laundering measures to penalize economic crimes rooted in resource mismanagement while deterring related illicit networks systematically benefiting from loopholes within the governance framework around natural resources in India.

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