In a major development, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Wednesday arrested senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia from his Amritsar residence for allegedly laundering over Rs540 crore in drug-related money.
According to officials, the arrest follows a detailed investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into a 2021 FIR and evidence gathered by the Vigilance Bureau. The probe revealed that Majithia was instrumental in laundering huge sums through unaccounted cash deposits, foreign entities, and undeclared financial transactions.
Authorities reported that:
Rs161 crore in unaccounted cash was deposited in companies linked to Majithia.
Rs141 crore was routed through suspicious foreign sources.
Rs236 crore was deposited without any explanation in financial records.
Investigators also allege that Majithia and his wife, Genieve Kaur, acquired numerous assets with no legitimate income trail. The funds were funneled into companies like Saraya Industries, where Majithia’s influence as a legislator and Cabinet minister was allegedly used to mask the origin of drug money.
The SIT and Vigilance teams have conducted searches on 22 individuals and at three locations, seizing more than 30 mobile phones, laptops, iPads, diaries, desktops, and property documents. More arrests and seizures are expected.
Majithia has been facing charges under the NDPS Act since December 2021, ahead of Punjab’s state elections. He has long maintained that the charges are politically motivated, claiming earlier investigations cleared him.
However, state Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal countered the Akali Dal’s claims of vendetta, reminding the public of how drug smuggler Jagdish Bhola named Majithia back in 2013. “The people of Punjab suffered during the SAD-BJP alliance’s decade-long rule, when a ‘sixth river of drugs’ flowed through the state,” Dhaliwal stated.
The Vigilance Bureau confirmed the investigation is ongoing and will be taken to its legal conclusion, with all evidence submitted to the appropriate court.
