The Vigilance Bureau early on Wednesday morning arrested senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia from his Amritsar residence. The arrest came after the registration of a fresh FIR (No. 22/2025) under the Prevention of Corruption Act, following find- ings by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) indicating illicit enrichment worth over Rs 540 crore, allegedly de- rived from drug trafficking networks.
The FIR, registered at 4:40 AM on June 25, was based on a detailed SIT re- port probing Majithia’s disproportionate assets and complex financial dealings involving shell companies, unaccounted foreign funds and benami assets.
Police teams allegedly barged into Majithia’s residence, reportedly without prior notice, causing a standoff with the family. His wife Ganieve Kaur confronted officials questioning the sudden intrusion. Majithia, in a video posted on social media platform X, accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of terrorising his children and misusing power to stifle the opposition. According to the Vigilance Bureau press release, the SIT uncovered Rs 161 crore in unaccounted cash deposited in accounts of firms controlled by Majithia, Rs 141 crore channelled through suspected foreign entities and Rs 236 crore excess deposits with no explanation in financial statements, Shell companies operated via dummy directors to siphon illicit funds, it added.
According to the release, there is a significant increase in assets of Majithia and his wife between 2007 and 2012 with no legitimate source of income. Searches at Majithia’s residence and 24 other locations yielded a massive cache of digital and documentary evidence, including 29 mobile phones, 4 laptops, 2 iPads, 8 diaries, and numerous property documents related to Saraya Industries, the company at the heart of the alleged laundering operation.
Responding to the development, Punjab Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal addressed the media in Chandigarh and reiterated the government’s uncompromising commitment to a drug-free Punjab. “Our fight against drugs will continue until Punjab is completely drug-free,” said Dhaliwal, flanked by AAP leader Baltej Pannu at the press conference. He said the AAP government, under CM Bhagwant Mann and guided by Arvind Kejriwal, has shown the courage that previous governments lacked. “This arrest sends a strong message.
For years, Punjab suffered under the ‘sixth river of drugs’, and today’s action is a beacon of hope for families devastated by this menace,” Dhaliwal said. Dhaliwal didn’t hold back from slamming past governments. He blamed the SAD-BJP regime (2007– 2017) for creating the drug crisis, citing testimonies like that of convicted drug smuggler Jagdish Bhola, who named Majithia in court in 2013.
Despite the revelations, no action was taken, and the state’s youth continued to fall prey to narcotics. Captain Amarinder Singh broke his Gutka Sahib oath to end drugs. Instead, Punjab witnessed a ‘ChachaBhatija’ government—Captain and Majithia—working hand in glove while the youth were destroyed,” Dhaliwal alleged.
