ED arrests former Punjab MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in money laundering case

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested former Punjab MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in connection with a money laundering case being probed against him and others, officials said. They said Khaira, 56, was taken into custody by the central probe agency in Punjab under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency had raided his premises in March this year.

The ED has alleged that Khaira is an "associate" of drug case convicts and fake passport racketeers. The politician has denied any wrongdoing and said he is being targeted by central agencies as he has been vocal against the Centre's three new farm laws.

Khaira won the assembly election in 2017 from the Bholath Assembly seat in Punjab's Kapurthala district on an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket.

He had recently resigned from the state assembly. He quit from the primary membership of Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP in January 2019 and floated his own outfit, the Punjab Ekta Party. He then re-joined the Congress.