Punjab Vigilance arrests Bikram Majithia in Rs 540-cr drug money case
More than three years after a drug smuggling case was registered against former Akali Minister Bikram Singh Majithia during the tenure of the then Congress government, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Wednesday arrested him for allegedly accumulated assets worth Rs 540 crore through drug-related money laundering.
Though Majithia has faced drug smuggling allegations since drug lord Jagdish Bhola named him in 2014, this is the first time a state agency has claimed to have uncovered evidence of drug money laundering. He has previously been questioned by investigation teams from the Punjab Police and the Enforcement Directorate. Majithia is scheduled to be produced before a Mohali court on Thursday.
In a statement, the Vigilance Bureau said Majithia’s arrest followed the findings of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing FIR No. 02 of 2021, dated December 12, 2021. The SIT is presently headed by Patiala SSP Varun Sharma with IPS officer Abhimanyu Rana and SP Gurbans Bains as members. The bureau said, “Substantial evidence has been uncovered indicating massive laundering of drug money by Majithia.”
Additionally, a fresh FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act was registered against the SAD leader on Wednesday. The complainant in the case is AIG Swarandeep Singh, who was recently reinstated after being suspended in the driving licence scam.
Shortly after the Vigilance Bureau team raided his house, Majithia released a video on X, alleging that the Bhagwant Mann-led government was attempting to frame him after failing to prove anything in the original drug case. “Bhagwant Mann ji, understand this, no matter how many FIRs you register, I will not be scared nor can your government suppress my voice,” he said in the video. “I have always raised issues concerning Punjab and will continue to do so,” he added. In the video, he was seen arguing with the police about trespassing onto his property.
The raid began at 6 am and Majithia was arrested and taken to Mohali around 1 pm. The search of his house continued until 4 pm. The Mohali flying squad team was headed by AIG Swarandeep Singh. SSP Vigilance Amritsar Range Lakhbir Singh and his team assisted in the operation.
Earlier, Genieve Kaur Majithia, SAD MLA and wife of Bikram Singh Majithia, said around 30 persons stormed into their house in the morning without presenting any warrant or notice regarding the raid. She said a raid also took place at their residence in Chandigarh, where her 80-year-old mother was alone.
A bureau spokesperson said preliminary investigations revealed drug money laundering exceeding Rs 540 crore through various means. The spokesperson said the transactions under investigation suggested the laundered money was funnelled into Saraya Industries, allegedly facilitated by Majithia during his tenure as an MLA and cabinet minister in various SAD-BJP governments.
The Vigilance Bureau also stated that assets registered in the name of Majithia and his MLA wife, Genieve Kaur, have “substantially increased” without a traceable source of lawful income. The alleged money laundering trail includes unaccounted cash worth Rs 161 crore deposited into bank accounts of companies controlled by Majithia, the transfer of Rs 141 crore through suspected foreign entities, unexplained deposits of Rs 236 crore reflected in company financial statements and the acquisition of movable and immovable assets without any legitimate source of income.
Searches were conducted by the SIT and the Vigilance Bureau at three locations involving 22 individuals. The raids led to the seizure of over 30 mobile phones, five laptops, three iPads, two desktops, multiple diaries, property documents, and several financial records connected to Saraya Industries.
Punjab