Punjab Vigilance seeks ED probe against Akali leader Bikram Majithia in ₹736.96 crore drug money laundering case

Chandigarh. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been asked to take up the ₹736.96 crore money laundering case against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia. The Punjab Vigilance Bureau, which has written to the central agency, names him as the mastermind and main beneficiary.

The bureau claims Majithia used his family members, close associates, several companies and foreign entities to generate, move and hide unaccounted wealth. The ₹736.96 crore under scrutiny includes money the Vigilance claims was earned through drug sales.

Three stages of laundering

According to the Vigilance findings, the money passed through three stages: generation, layering and integration. Simply put, the money was first raised, then passed through a chain of complex deals to hide where it came from, and finally brought back as regular wealth.

The bureau alleges that multiple companies were created and used to layer the drug money. The probe has traced transactions through companies in India and foreign entities in Cyprus and Singapore.

Aircraft, property in family names

The money was later turned into properties, aircraft, investments and other assets, the Vigilance claims. These assets were held in the names of family members and associates, while Majithia remained the main beneficiary, the bureau alleges.

With its letter, the Vigilance has asked the ED to probe the money laundering side of the case. The focus now shifts to the ₹736.96 crore money trail and the network of companies, deals and people the bureau says was used to route and hide the wealth.

The Vigilance had arrested Majithia on June 25, 2025, putting the alleged drug money at ₹540 crore at the time. Majithia has denied the charges and called the case politically motivated.