CHANDIGARH / PATHANKOT: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Jalandhar Zonal Office, has arrested former Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) of Pathankot, Kuldeep Singh, in connection with the alleged illegal transfer of 91.75 acres of village common land and subsequent illegal mining activities in the border district, IANS reported on Friday, November 13. The arrest is a significant development in the agency's money-laundering investigation, the wire said.

Source: IANS via Fresh Headline

The case concerns the alleged transfer of 734 kanals and one marla of shamlat land — village common land held for shared use — in Bhattian village, falling under Gol Gram Panchayat in Pathankot district, to private individuals. The land sits along the Ravi river, close to the international border with Pakistan, and is believed to be rich in sand and other minerals, according to the IANS report.

Order passed a day before retirement, says the case record

The case dates back to February 27, 2023, when Kuldeep Singh — then serving as District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO) and holding additional charge as ADC (Development) — allegedly passed an order in favour of private individuals in a long-pending land dispute, just a day before his retirement from government service. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau subsequently registered an FIR against Kuldeep Singh and other accused, alleging irregularities in the transfer of the panchayat land, and the ED initiated its money-laundering investigation on the basis of that FIR.

Source: IANS via Fresh Headline

The state's own record from 2023 points the same way: Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma had directed that an FIR be registered against the retired DDPO and the beneficiaries of his February 27, 2023 order, after an official inquiry found prima facie serious irregularities in transferring the 734 kanals and one marla of shamlat land and said the act had caused a loss of crores of rupees to the Gram Panchayat. Disciplinary action was also directed. These are official allegations from the inquiry, not court findings.

Source: Punjab Chief Secretary directive, via Stellar News (2023)

Probe expanded to illegal mining; 16 premises searched in July

The ED later expanded its probe into the alleged illegal excavation and transportation of sand and riverbed material from the disputed land. In July 2026, the agency conducted searches at 16 premises linked to the case, IANS reported. A recent report has also highlighted alleged payments totalling Rs 20.70 lakh from accounts linked to a stone-crushing firm to the wife of the retired official — an allegation the agency is examining as part of the money-laundering probe.

The investigation itself was independently reported a month ago: The Tribune reported on October 16, 2026 that the ED had intensified its probe into the alleged Rs 500-crore Pathankot panchayat land case, with officials visiting the Rural Development and Panchayats Department headquarters in Mohali to collect records connected with the alleged irregularities, following the July searches at premises linked to mining businesses in the district.

Source: The Tribune via Punjab Khabarnama (16 Oct 2026)

What happens next: an arrested accused in a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case is produced before the competent court, which decides on ED custody or judicial custody. The agency has not, in the reports available at the time of publishing, announced the date of his court production or any further arrests in the Bhattian land case. Awaaz Punjab will update this story as official details are confirmed.