‘Rs 540 crores drug money laundering’: Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia arrested in disproportionate assets case; after raid at Amritsar house | Chandigarh News

AMRITSAR/CHANDIGARH: Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia was was arrested by the Vigilance Bureau (VB) from his residence in Amritsar on Wednesday inside hours of his being booked in a disproportionate assets case at Punjab State VB police station in Mohali at 4.40 am. W hen the vigilance crew, led by senior superintendent of police (VB) Lakhbir Singh, descended on Majithia’s house in Amritsar’s Green Avenue, there was a verbal confrontation between Majithia and the crew, movies of which have been shared by Majithia on social media. Majithia alleged that the complete operation was being carried out resulting from political vendetta, and repeatedly requested mediapersons to report the raid. Majithia is the brother-in-law of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.Addressing the media briefly outdoors their residence, his spouse, Ganieve Kaur, who’s the sitting MLA of SAD from Majitha meeting constituency, alleged that the vigilance crew forcibly entered their house and behaved roughly.The FIR towards Majithia, as per the VB, was registered primarily based on investigations of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the drug case towards the SAD leader registered in 2021 and probe by the VB. A bureau spokesperson mentioned, “Investigations by the SIT probing the FIR no. 02 of 2021 registered in Police Station Punjab State Crime and the Vigilance Bureau revealed “huge laundering of drug money facilitated by Majithia. Preliminary investigations revealws that greater than Rs 540 crores of drug money was laundered by a number of methods…”The VB spokesperson acknowledged, “The VB has registered a case primarily based on a report of the SIT investigating FIR No. 02, dated Dec 20, 2021, registered underneath sections 25, 27-A and 29 of the NDPS Act 1985 at PS Punjab State Crime, SAS Nagar (Mohali) whereby substantial proof has been uncovered indicating huge laundering of drug money by Majithia.”Also read: Vigilance sleuths raid house of SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia in Punjab, wife confronts officials over forced entry; probe onThe VB spokesperson added, “So far, Rs 540-crore drug money has been tracked as having been generated illegally and by utilizing the affect of Majithia as a public servant, being an MLA and holding a cupboard submit in the erstwhile Punjab govt.”The FIR towards Majithia talked about, “The clarification/assertion supplied to the SIT is baseless and can’t be thought of as unrealistic figures have been talked about…”It additionally learn that, “The assets created and the bills incurred by Majithia for 2007 to 2012 present that there isn’t a clarification for the supply of revenue for buying the assets.” According to the VB spokesperson, “Searches and seizures have been carried out by the SIT on 22 individuals and by the Vigilance Bureau at three places which have yielded over 30 cell phones, 5 laptops, 3 iPads, 2 desktops, a number of diaries, many property paperwork and plenty of paperwork of Saraya Industries.“In Mohali, his lawyers Arshdeep Singh Kaler and H S Dhanoa were allowed to meet the Akali leader for an hour in the evening at the bureau’s headquarters. The bureau later confirmed that Majithia will be produced in court on Thursday. A large number of SAD supporters gathered outside the bureau’s office, raising slogans against the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab govt. The area was turned into a virtual fortress with multiple barricades, road closures, and restricted public movement.