CHANDIGARH: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has intercepted Amardeep Singh Grewal, a relative of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur, at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi in connection with an alleged Rs 5-crore bribery case linked to her.
Grewal was intercepted under a look-out circular (LOC) issued by the ED. He was brought to the ED headquarters in Delhi for questioning, and the agency is questioning him in connection with the case. His formal arrest is being considered, sources said.
Grewal is described as the brother-in-law (saadu) of CM Mann, as Mann’s wife’s cousin is said to be married to Amardeep. Meanwhile, a state government spokesperson has repeatedly denied any relationship between the chief minister and Amardeep.
Grewal is associated with East Sunshine Production Private Limited and has links to the Punjabi film industry. His film credits include Maujaan Hi Maujaan (2023) and Snowman (2022), both with overseas production or release connections.
The ED had earlier summoned Grewal twice for questioning in connection with an alleged Rs 5-crore bribery case in which the name of Chief Minister Mann’s wife, Dr Gurpreet Kaur Mann, had also cropped up, but he did not appear before the agency.
Subsequently, an LOC was issued against him, following which he was detained at the Delhi airport on Saturday.
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 clear whether the apex investigating agency has registered a separate case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). However, sources said the central agency initiated a money-laundering probe after allegations surfaced that Grewal had demanded Rs 5 crore to scuttle an investigation.
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.
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, which had also named Dr Gurpreet Kaur Mann. However, she has categorically denied any link or association with the case on multiple occasions and has sent a defamation notice to the PHRO.
In April this year, the father of a woman alleged that she had been abducted by Gurvinder Singh alias Guri Chahal, of Mohali. 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.
Later, allegations surfaced that Rs 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 the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Punjab, seeking an action-taken report.