ED Arrests Ex-PSIEC General Manager in Rs 8.73 Crore Plot Allotment Caseਈਡੀ ਨੇ ਪੀਐੱਸਆਈਈਸੀ ਦੇ ਸਾਬਕਾ ਜਨਰਲ ਮੈਨੇਜਰ ਨੂੰ 8.73 ਕਰੋੜ ਦੇ ਪਲਾਟ ਘਪਲੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਗ੍ਰਿਫ਼ਤਾਰ ਕੀਤਾ

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Jaswinder Singh Randhawa, a retired general manager of the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC), in a money-laundering case over alleged illegal allotment of industrial plots, Hindustan Times and Punjabi Tribune reported on Saturday. He was sent to ED custody till November 2. The allegations are unproven and the case is under investigation.

What is the case against the former PSIEC general manager?

According to Hindustan Times, the ED case stems from an FIR registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on March 8, 2024, against six senior PSIEC officials. They are accused of abusing their positions and facilitating the illegal allotment of valuable industrial plots to relatives, friends and acquaintances, causing an alleged loss of Rs 8.73 crore to the state exchequer. Randhawa was formerly general manager (personnel) at the corporation.

How was he arrested and what did the court order?

Punjabi Tribune reported that the ED summoned Randhawa to its Jalandhar office on Thursday and arrested him there. He was produced on Friday before a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Mohali, which sent him to ED custody till November 2 for further questioning. Reports say the Vigilance Bureau had also arrested him earlier in the original case.

What has the ED found so far?

Punjabi Tribune reported that the agency searched 11 locations of government and private individuals in Chandigarh, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Ludhiana on August 4 to 6, 2026. It says about Rs 4.01 crore was traced in Randhawa's bank accounts and frozen. The ED is probing allegedly fraudulent allotment of at least a dozen industrial plots in Mohali and Amritsar since 2012, the paper said.

How were the plots allegedly handled?

As described by the Punjabi Tribune, plots were allegedly sold to new allottees at market rates, while the corporation's records showed them being transferred at old allotment rates. That gap is at the heart of the alleged loss. These are the agency's allegations and have not been proved in court.

What happens next?

Randhawa's ED custody runs till November 2, after which he is expected to be produced before the court again. The ED has not been reported to have named further arrests so far.

Who is Jaswinder Singh Randhawa?

He is a retired general manager (personnel) of PSIEC, the Punjab government undertaking that develops and allots industrial focal points.

How much money is involved?

The Vigilance Bureau case puts the alleged loss at Rs 8.73 crore, and the ED says it has frozen about Rs 4.01 crore in his accounts, according to the reports.