The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday launched raids at premises linked to former Punjab cabinet minister and Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu and some others as part of a money laundering investigation, official sources said.

About 10 premises in Ludhiana and nearby locations are being searched by the ED officials under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED probe is linked to alleged irregularities and allegations of receiving kickbacks through conduits for compromising tender for food procurement and transportation, its quality and conditions.

The PMLA case is based on a Punjab vigilance bureau FIR.

Ashu is a former minister for food, civil supplies and consumer affairs in Punjab.

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