The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested Punjab’s former legislator Sukhpal Singh Khaira in connection with a money laundering case being probed against him and others.
The ED officials said that Khaira 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 Directorate has alleged that Khaira is an “associate” of drug case convicts and fake passport racketeers.Denying any wrongdoing, Khaira said that he was being targeted by central agencies as he has been vocal against the Centre's three new farm laws. Khaira had recently resigned from the state assembly, which was also accepted by the Speaker.
Khaira won the 2017 assembly election from the Bholath assembly seat in Punjab’s Kapurthala district on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket.
In January 2019, he resigned from primary membership of Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP and floated his own outfit — Punjab Ekta Party.Later, he re-joined Congress, and merged his PEP with it.