3 TOP FASHION DESIGNERS ASKED TO APPEAR BEFORE E.D. IN PMLA CASE

THE DESIGNERS HAVE BEEN ASKED TO COME TO THE AGENCY HQ IN CENTRAL DELHI’S KHAN MKT OVER THE NEXT 2 DAYS

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned three top fashion designers, Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Ritu Kumar , in connection with a money laundering probe against Punjab Congress legislator Sukhpal Singh Khaira, people familiar with the development said on Wednesday.

ED believes that Khaira made certain cash payments, around ₹15-16 lakh in total, to the three designers on different occasions in 2018-19 and wants to seek clarifications in this context, said an agency officer.

Khaira is already under investigation in two cases registered by the federal agency earlier this year to probe money laundering charges linked to a trans-border drugs smuggling network unearthed in Fazilka, Punjab in 2015, and a fake passport racket in Delhi.

The agency carried out searches at the residence of Khaira and his son-in-law Inderveer Singh Johal in March and the two have subsequently been questioned a few times. Khaira was last questioned by ED on Wednesday.

The designers have been told to appear at the agency’s headquarters in central Delhi’s Khan Market over the next two days. Two of them are already in touch with ED officials, said an agency official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

HT reached out to the three designers but there was no comment till the filing of this report.

The politician or his legal team could not be contacted for comments. But, in the past, Khaira has denied any wrongdoing and alleged that he was being targeted as he opposed Centre’s three new farm laws.