Punjab film producer Amardeep Singh Grewal, a relative of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s wife, has been detained at the Delhi airport and is being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), sources in the agency said.
He has not been arrested yet, sources claimed, and was detained as the ED had already issued a Look Out Circular against him.
Grewal is described as the brother-in-law of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. As per the information available, Amardeep is the brother-in-law (Saadu) of CM Mann, as Mann’s wife’s cousin is said to be married to Amardeep.
It is not immediately clear where Amardeep was going.
However, a government spokesperson had repeatedly denied any relationship between the chief minister and Amardeep.
ED had summoned Grewal twice for questioning in connection with an alleged ₹5-crore bribery case in which the name of Chief Minister Mann's wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur Mann, had also cropped up.
ED summons skipped
Official sources said Grewal was initially asked to appear before the High Intensity Unit (HIU) in the national capital on October 7, for which he sought an adjournment. He was later asked to appear at the ED's Delhi office on October 9, but he skipped the summons.
It is not immediately clear if the agency has registered a separate case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Sources said the central agency initiated a money-laundering probe after allegations surfaced that Grewal had demanded ₹5 crore to scuttle an investigation.
Grewal is a Punjabi film personality associated with M/S East Sunshine Production Private Limited and has worked on Punjabi films including Maujan Hi Maujan and Snowman. The company has overseas production and release linkages.
The matter came to light during an independent probe by the Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO) led by former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Justice Ranjit Singh.
The panel had also named Dr Gurpreet Kaur Mann.
Dr Gurpreet Mann has categorically denied any link or association with the case on multiple occasions and has sent a defamation notice to PHRO.
The case
The underlying criminal case relates to an alleged abduction and rape case that surfaced in April, when the father of a woman alleged that she had been abducted by Gurvinder Singh alias Guri Chahal, a Mohali resident.
An FIR was registered in Amritsar on April 29, and the woman was rescued on May 1. Chahal was arrested on May 13 but was released on bail in mid-July, prompting allegations of a "botched investigation" by the police.
During subsequent litigation, allegations surfaced that ₹5 crore had been sought to facilitate efforts to have the criminal case withdrawn or settled.
On August 22, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) separately took cognisance of the controversy and issued notices to Punjab's Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, seeking an action-taken report.
Last month, Dr Gurpreet Kaur Mann filed a criminal defamation case against Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, her brother and party leader Bikram Singh Majithia, and Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira. She alleged that they had made false allegations accusing her of helping protect a rape accused.