The Enforcement Directorate (ED) apprehended Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, former Punjab forest minister and Congress leader, on Monday in connection with a money laundering investigation related to an alleged forest scam in the state, news agency PTI reported citing official sources.
Dharamsot, aged 64, was taken into custody in Jalandhar under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED had conducted raids in November last year at the premises of Dharamsot, another state forest minister Sangat Singh Giljian, as well as some forest department officials and other individuals, the report said.
According to the report, the investigation centres around accusations of "bribery" within the state forest department concerning the issuance of permits for tree felling and matters related to transfer/posting in the department.
Dharamsot, a five-time MLA, faced a previous arrest by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau last year in a case linked to the alleged possession of disproportionate assets, it said.
Representing the Nabha assembly seat, Dharamsot, and Giljian, an MLA from the Urmar seat in Hoshiarpur district, have both been subjects of scrutiny in recent times, it added further.
The money laundering case, initiated under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, originated from an FIR filed by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. The FIR addressed purported irregularities in the forest department and allegations of ministers and officers receiving bribes for various activities, including the issuance of permits for felling Khair trees, transfer/posting within the department, issuance of NOC from the department, and the purchase of tree guards.