'Cash rain' during ED raids in Punjab's Mohali, bags filled with Rs 500 notes thrown from luxury high-rise leaves morning walkers shocked

The raids by the Enforcement Directorate into high-stakes money laundering investigation in Punjab's Mohali took a drastic turn when residents of a luxury high-rise threw bags stuffed with cash from a ninth-floor window. The bags packed with cash were thrown from the window when the ED raid was on as part of a major operation against a section of influential builders, reports Times of India. The central agency carried out the raids at the residence of IT professional Nitin Gohal near Kharar in Punjab’s Mohali.

The raid was conducted at Flat No. 906, Western Towers, Sector 127, Chajju Majra. Morning walkers stepped on bundles of currency notes on Thursday and when they looked up they found more notes fluttering down.

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Two bags filled with Rs 500 notes were thrown

According to a TOI report, as soon as the ED officials entered the building, someone threw two bags filled with Rs 500 currency notes off the balcony. The agency was carrying out simultaneous searches at 12 locations across Chandigarh, Mohali, and Patiala as part of a probe targeting prominent builders and facilitators accused of obtaining change of land use (CLU) licences through fraudulent means, cheating investors, and defaulting on hundreds of crores in government fees.

Witnesses saw bundles of currency falling from the high-rise building and a video purportedly shows a bag filled with cash lying on the ground and bundles of Rs 500 notes scattered nearby. Sources told TOI one person is believed to have escaped with a bag of cash in his car and the ED seized another bag containing around Rs 21 lakh in cash.

Rs 20 lakh dumped?

According to reports, the bags contained nearly ₹20 lakh in ₹500 notes and were flung from Flat 906, which is said to be linked to businessman Nitin Gohal. Sources familiar with the investigation said Nitin Gohal is under scrutiny for allegedly working as a middleman between financially troubled real-estate developers and politically connected individuals. Investigators suspect he helped builders avoid regulatory action by facilitating communication with influential figures and allegedly attempting to delay recovery proceedings and legal action.

The dramatic visuals and sudden recovery of cash from the residential complex have sparked intense discussion locally, with the probe now expected to widen further. Sources said the ED raid is connected to an alleged large-scale financial fraud involving the procurement of ‘change of land use’ (CLU) licences from the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority. Investigators are currently scrutinising documents, property records and financial transactions to trace suspected irregularities and possible illegal money trails linked to the case.

(With TOI inputs)