7 months ago
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The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has arrested a adjacent subordinate of jailed Shiromani Akali Dal person Bikram Singh Majithia, officials said connected Sunday (November 30, 2025).
Harpreet Singh Gulati, who is successful the liquor trade, was arrested connected Saturday, they said. During the probe, the Bureau detected a transaction of ₹10 crore betwixt Gulati's companies and firms tally by the Majithia family, nationalist authoritative Preet Inderpal Singh said.
Mr. Gulati was earlier questioned astir the transaction, but helium failed to springiness immoderate satisfactory reply, Mr. Singh said.
Mr. Gulati was produced earlier a tribunal successful Mohali, which sent him to a six-day vigilance remand, peculiar nationalist authoritative Ferry Sofat said.
An authoritative spokesperson of the Vigilance Bureau said Mr. Majithia, who is presently lodged successful the New Nabha jailhouse successful Patiala aft his apprehension successful a disproportionate assets case, faces superior allegations of quid pro quo.
After the Akalis came to powerfulness successful Punjab successful 2007, the liquor assemblage allegedly “faced seizure by governmental interests”, helium said successful a statement.
Mr. Gulati's firms allegedly secured liquor licences astatine Mr. Majithia's lawsuit from 2008 onward, the spokesperson claimed.
“Mr. Gulati's firms allegedly paid ₹4.25 crore (2008-09) and ₹1.40 crore (2009-10) to Mr. Majithia's companies and family, backing a farmhouse astatine the Sainik Farms successful Delhi and different household benefits,” the spokesperson said.
In 2014-15, different ₹5.49 crore flowed successful the aforesaid mode to repay loans for Majithia-linked radical entities, helium alleged.
The probe besides revealed that these transactions were non-commercial successful nature, unrelated to immoderate morganatic concern dealings, and routed successful the signifier of unsecured money transfers/layered advances without immoderate concern rationale oregon justification, the spokesperson said.
The Vigilance Bureau arrested Mr. Majithia connected June 25 successful the disproportionate assets lawsuit allegedly involving the laundering of ₹540 crore of “drug money”.
On August 22, the Bureau filed a chargesheet successful a Mohali court, which ran into much than 40,000 pages.
In the FIR registered against Mr. Majithia, the Bureau claimed that preliminary investigations revealed the laundering of much than ₹540 crore of “drug money” done respective channels, allegedly facilitated by the Akali leader.
The FIR stemmed from an ongoing probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Punjab Police into a 2021 cause case.
In 2021, Mr. Majithia was booked nether the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act based connected a 2018 study of the anti-drug STF.
Mr. Majithia spent much than 5 months successful Patiala jailhouse earlier walking retired of situation successful August 2022 aft the Punjab and Haryana High Court granted him bail.
