ED attaches Sukhpal Khaira’s Chandigarh house in PMLA case

In a recent development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached the Sector 5 house of Bholath Congress MLA Sukhpal Khaira in Chandigarh under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The attachment is linked to an investigation revealing that Khaira acquired and utilised proceeds of crime (POC) worth Rs 3.82 crore from an international drug syndicate operated by Gurdev Singh and his associates.

The ED alleged that Khaira provided protection for smuggling narcotic drugs, and in return, Gurdev Singh made cash payments of Rs 3.82 crore to Khaira and funded his election campaigns using proceeds from the illegal drug business.

Khaira denied the allegations, stating that he received no notice about the attachment of his house and that the news was released to the media instead. He termed the action as “pure character assassination” and alleged that BJP is misusing the ED to target opposition leaders.

The ED investigation revealed that Khaira and his family members made expenses worth Rs 6.61 crore between April 1, 2014, and March 31, 2020. An unaccounted expenditure of Rs 3.82 crore was identified, which was revealed from handwritten notebooks seized during searches conducted on March 9 and 10, 2021.

Khaira was arrested on November 11, 2021, under Section 19 of the PMLA, and the prosecution complaint was filed before the PMLA court in Mohali on January 6, 2022.