Chandigarh: Trouble is mounting for suspended IPS officer from Punjab, Harcharan Singh Bhullar, with the Central Bureau of Investigation filing a new case of disproportionate assets, acquiring wealth beyond known sources of income.Bhullar and a "middleman" arrested in the case are in judicial custody.Times Now has accessed the CBI's FIR, which has calculated Bhullar's salary, income, and taxes, as well as the value of cash and gold seized from his residence and premises connected with Bhullar."Bhullar, a 2009-batch IPS officer, was posted in Ropar Range before being placed under suspension," said officials.The new case has been registered under relevant sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, after the federal probe agency found that Bhullar had
allegedly amassed assets worth several times more than his legitimate income during his service.
What Has been Recovered in CBI Raids?
According to the CBI FIR, raids were conducted on October 16 and 17, 2025, at Bhullar’s residence in Sector 40-B, Chandigarh.During the searches, officials reportedly recovered Rs 7.36 crore in cash, gold jewellery and silver articles worth Rs 2.32 crore, and 26 luxury branded watches.Investigators also seized documents of several immovable properties, including two flats in Chandigarh and around 150 acres of agricultural land in Mohali, Hoshiarpur, and Ludhiana districts of Punjab.
How Did a Bribery Angle Trigger a Wider Probe?
The CBI further claimed that Bhullar and his family own a fleet of luxury vehicles such as Mercedes, Audi, Innova, and Fortuner, besides bank deposits and fixed deposits totaling Rs 2.95 crore."Bhullar’s salary account is maintained with a private bank at Sector 9, Chandigarh, where monthly credits of about Rs 4.74 lakh were recorded during August and September 2025. His income tax return for FY 2024–25 declared a total income of Rs 45.95 lakh, on which he paid Rs 13.82 lakh as tax," said the CBI FIR.However, the agency said the total assets and cash recovered during the searches are “several times higher” than his declared income, and Bhullar failed to provide any satisfactory explanation for the same. The new case is based on findings and the arrest of Bhullar in the bribery case filed on 11th October 2025.The complainant alleged that an associate of Bhullar had demanded a Rs 5 lakh bribe on the officer’s behalf.Following a trap operation, the associate was caught red-handed accepting the bribe. CBI investigation revealed that the bribe was being collected on behalf of Bhullar, prompting the CBI to expand its probe.During this investigation, the agency unearthed details of Bhullar’s alleged disproportionate assets, leading to the registration of this new case.A CBI spokesperson said Bhullar had “abused his official position to accumulate massive wealth through illegal means.”The agency is also probing the role of his family members to determine whether they helped him in acquiring these assets.
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