Bhupinder Singh Honey, the nephew of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, was remanded in 14-day judicial custody on Friday in an illegal sand mining case, the Hindustan Times reported.

Honey was arrested on February 3 on money laundering charges. A court in Punjab’s Jalandhar city has remanded him to Enforcement Directorate custody till February 8.

On January 18, the Enforcement Directorate officials had raided Honey’s home and 10 other places in Punjab.

On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate claimed that Honey had admitted that he received Rs 10 crore in cash to facilitate illegal sand mining operations and manipulate transfer and posting of officials in Punjab.

The central agency is investigating the money laundering case based on a first information report registered in 2018 by the Punjab Police against Kudrat Deep Singh, who owns a quarry in Nawanshahr town of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district.

Channi’s nephew is reported to be a director at one of the companies formed by Kudrat Deep Singh.

Congress leaders have claimed that the Enforcement Directorate had arrested Honey to put pressure on Channi, the party’s chief ministerial candidate for Punjab elections. The party has described the arrest as a political ploy.

Assembly elections will be held in Punjab on February 20.