The North News
Chandigarh, December 1
The Punjab Vigilance Bureau has arrested Harpreet Singh Gulati, a close aide of Shiromani Akali Dal leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia, in a case involving alleged illicit fund transfers routed through multiple liquor companies.
Gulati was taken into custody from Mohali and produced before a local court, which remanded him to six days of police custody. According to a spokesperson for the Vigilance Bureau, the arrest is part of an ongoing probe into what investigators describe as a quid-pro-quo arrangement involving liquor licences and suspicious financial flows into companies linked to Majithia and his family.
Investigators allege that since the Akali Dal came to power in 2007, parts of Punjab’s liquor trade were captured by political interests. Within this system, Gulati — a car dealer who later turned to the liquor business — was allegedly among the beneficiaries.
His companies, including Akash Spriti, UV Enterprises and AD Enterprises, reportedly secured liquor licences at Majithia’s behest beginning in 2008, raising concerns of abuse of office. The Vigilance Bureau claims that from 2008 to 2010, Gulati’s firms transferred around ₹5.65 crore to Majithia’s companies and family members. These funds were allegedly used to acquire property, including a farmhouse in Delhi’s Sainik Farms and real estate in Shimla.
A further ₹5.49 crore was allegedly routed in 2014–15 to settle loans linked to entities associated with Majithia.
So far, the VB says it has traced transactions worth nearly ₹10 crore flowing into companies linked to Majithia, with investigators indicating that more such fund infusions may emerge as the probe widens. Officials said the financial transfers appear to be non-commercial in nature and were allegedly disguised as unsecured advances or layered transactions without legitimate business justification.
The Vigilance Bureau stated that the investigation is ongoing and more arrests or disclosures may follow.
