Congress leader and former Punjab forest minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate under anti-money laundering charges. The arrest is linked to an ongoing investigation into an alleged forest scam in the state, according to official sources.
The agency took the 64-year-old politician into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Jalandhar. In November of the previous year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on the residences of Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, along with another state forest minister, Sangat Singh Giljian, as well as various officials from the forest department and other individuals.
The investigation pertains to charges of bribery in the state forest department against the issuance of permits for tree felling and for transfer/posting in the department, among other allegations. Dharamsot has been a five-time MLA and was also arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau last year in a case linked to alleged possession of disproportionate assets. He has represented the Nabha assembly seat while Giljian has been an MLA from the Urmar seat in Hoshiarpur district.