The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested former Punjab MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in connection with a case of money laundering being probed against him. ED officials said Khaira (56), former leader of the opposition in Punjab assembly, was taken into custody by the central probe agency in Punjab under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The agency had raided his premises in March this year. The ED has alleged that Khaira is an “associate” of drug case convicts and fake passport racketeers.
The case against Khaira is part of ED's ongoing probe in the 2015 Fazilka drugs-smuggling case, in which 1800 grams of heroin, 24 gold biscuits, two weapons, 26 live cartridges, and two Pakistani SIM cards were seized from a gang of international drug smugglers by security agencies.
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The politician has denied any wrongdoing and said he is being targeted by central agencies as he has been vocal against the Centre’s three new farm laws.
He had recently resigned from the state assembly. Khaira won the assembly election in 2017 from the Bholath Assembly seat in Punjab’s Kapurthala district on an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket.
