VB Arrests Majithia in DA Case After Raid at Amritsar House

Vigilance claims preliminary investigations reveal that over ₹540 crore of ‘drug money’ was laundered via several channels allegedly facilitated by Majithia

- Surjit Singh and Vishal Rambani

AMRITSAR/CHANDIGARH: The vigilance bureau on Wednesday arrested senior Akali leader and ex-cabinet minister Bikram Singh Majithia in a disproportionate assets case. The arrest came after a team of over 30 vigilance officials conducted a raid at his residence in Amritsar.

The FIR was registered under Section 13 (1)(b) and Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, said the bureau.

The fresh FIR against Majithia, who is the brother-in-law of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, stems from findings during the ongoing investigation into a 2021 drug-trafficking case registered against him under the Congress government. Officials involved in the probe claimed that financial documents and transactions linked to Majithia revealed significant discrepancies, prompting the vigilance bureau to take action under the PC Act.

Majithia is expected to be produced in the Mohali court on Thursday, and the court has granted his lawyers permission to meet him.

According to the FIR, Majithia accumulated vast wealth, properties and business interests in his name and in the names of his family members, which appear to be grossly disproportionate to his legitimate sources of income.

The VB claimed preliminary investigations revealed that more than Rs 540 crore of “drug money” has been laundered through several channels allegedly facilitated by Majithia.