ED raids Punjab MLA Sukhpal Khaira, kin in money laundering case

NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the premises of rebel AAP MLA from Punjab Sukhpal Singh Khaira, his family members in Delhi and some jailed convicts on Tuesday in a moneylaundering case linked to the 2015 Fazilka narcotics trafficking case and a fake passport racket, officials said.

The MLA, president of the Punjab Ekta Party founded by him in 2019, denied any wrongdoing as he briefly spoke to reporters, who had gathered outside his bungalow number 6 in Chandigarh’s Sector 5.

The central agency searched a dozen locations — Khaira’s residence, nine places in Punjab and two in Delhi — including the house of his son-in-law, Inderveer Singh Johal.

The agency claimed that Khaira (56), the MLA from Bholath in Kapurthala district, is an “associate” of the drugs racket convicts and fake passport racketeers.

Khaira was elected to the state Assembly in 2017 on an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket, but he later quit the party and launched his own outfit.

Wearing a T-shirt and track pants, Khaira came out of his residence for a few seconds and told the reporters that he had “not done anything wrong”, adding that ED sleuths arrived at his house around 7.30 am.

Official sources in ED said the action is being carried out against the Punjab lawmaker and others under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is aimed at gathering more evidence to take forward the probe.

The case pertains to the probe in the 2015 Fazilka (Punjab) drugs-smuggling case, in which 1,800 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.