Chandigarh, June 27 (IANS) In a major development in the arrest of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia on charges of laundering more than Rs 540 crore of drug money, the investigating agency on Friday said former Director General of Police (DGP) Siddharth Chattopadhyaya has agreed to join the investigation of the case.

The Vigilance Bureau has called former DGP Chattopadhyaya to join the ongoing investigation against Majithia. He was investigating the drugs case against Majithia when he was the DGP, the bureau said.

“Former DGP Chattopadhyaya can make many important revelations about Majithia’s links with the drug business. The former DGP will record his statement with officials at 2 p.m.,” said the bureau.

Chattopadhyaya was also appointed as the head of Special Investigation Teams (SITs) during his service by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. However, a committee formed by the Supreme Court under former judge Indu Malhotra has found Chattopadhyaya guilty of breaching Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security during his visit to Ferozepur in January 2022.

Last year, the Punjab government set up a committee to initiate a probe against Chattopadhyaya for allegedly providing security to a rape accused who was declared a proclaimed offender during his tenure as the state police chief from December 16, 2021, to January 8, 2022. Seven years ago, Chattopadhyaya, as the DGP, had filed a report in his “individual capacity” during a High Court-monitored probe into the nexus between the law enforcement agencies and drug traffickers. However, in 2023, the High Court junked his report.

The 1986-batch IPS officer, Chattopadhyaya, retired on March 31, 2023.

The Vigilance Bureau on Wednesday arrested Akali Dal former Minister Majithia from his residence in a posh locality in Amritsar city on charges of laundering more than Rs 540 crore of drug money.

A trial court on Thursday sent Majithia to seven-day Vigilance Bureau custody.

Investigations by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the police probing the first information report (FIR) of 2021 and the Vigilance Bureau revealed massive laundering of drug money facilitated by Majithia, the government has said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that more than Rs 540 crore drug money has been laundered through several ways, including a huge unaccounted cash of Rs 161 crore deposited in bank accounts of companies controlled by Majithia, channelisation of Rs 141 crore through suspected foreign entities and excess deposition of Rs 236 crore without disclosure or explanation in company financial statements.

Also, the government said there is an acquisition of movable and immovable assets by Majithia without any legitimate source of income.

A Vigilance Bureau spokesperson told the media that it has filed a case based on a report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) registered under Sections 25, 27-A and 29 of the NDPS Act, wherein substantial evidence has been uncovered indicating massive laundering of drug money by Majithia.

These transactions are being investigated by the bureau, and the investigations done clearly indicated that these funds were laundered drug money funnelled into Saraya Industries, allegedly facilitated by Majithia.

The spokesperson said Rs 540 crore drug money has been tracked so far as having been generated illegally and by using the influence of Majithia as a public servant, being a legislator and holding a Cabinet post in the previous state government.

–IANS

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