AAP MLA Gajjanmajra held by ED in Rs 41cr bank fraud case

AAP MLA Gajjanmajra held by ED in Rs 41cr bank fraud case
Chandigarh: AAP Amargarh MLA Jaswant Singh Gajjanmajra was on Monday arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to a bank fraud case.

The legislator was already facing a CBI inquiry in a Rs 40.92 crore bank fraud case dating back to 2014
The legislator was detained by officials from a public meeting he was holding in Malerkotla. Gajjanmajra was already facing a CBI inquiry in a Rs 40.92 crore bank fraud case dating back to 2014. As one of the directors of Tara Corporation Limited, he had taken a loan from Bank of India’s Ludhiana branch but instead used the money for other purposes, including purchase of some properties.

The ED had raided his premises in September last year. He had skipped multiple summons issued by the ED to him in the past. The sleuths of the central agency finally arrested him around noon and brought him to their office in Jalandhar for interrogation. He was taken for a medical examination at the Civil Hospital in the evening and would remain in the ED lock-up for the night before being taken to Mohali to be produced in the special PMLA court there.

The ED officials had been monitoring his activities for a couple of days. Sources at the office told that today, two officials of the ED approached Gajjanmajra’s PA and told him that MLA Kulwant Singh had sent them for a meeting with the MLA. Thus they succeeded in settling into the office and provided further information to their seniors.

After that four more persons came and persuaded Gajjanmajra to talk in private. AAP activists turned suspicious about the duo and allegedly manhandled them too. They were rescued by the sleuths who had declared their identity by now. Some AAP leaders followed the MLA to the Jalandhar ED office too.

Even the CBI had conducted a raid at the MLA’s house in May last year and recovered incriminating documents, Rs 16.57 lakh cash and some foreign currency. Having risen from the status of small farmers till about three decades ago, Gajjanmajra and his two brothers are learnt to be running some joint businesses including those of cattle feed, a school, refined oil etc. He has factories at various locations including in UP, said his supporters.

Kewal Singh, general secretary, AAP, Malerkotla, said, “Gajjanmajra has not even been taking his salary and other perks from the government. He runs his businesses and in the process had taken some loans too in the past, which are being questioned now after nine years since he and his government are in power.”