Former Congress MLA from Faridkot Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon, alias Kiki Dhillon, appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Jalandhar on Wednesday, joining a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) probe linked to a disproportionate assets case.
Dhillon, who is currently out on bail, was previously arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) in May 2023.
The federal agency had issued multiple summons to Dhillon, including a notice on May 20, though he had previously denied receiving any official communication.
ED sources said that security staff at Dhillon’s residence had repeatedly refused to accept the summons.
The ED’s independent money-laundering probe stems directly from the VB’s investigation, which accuses Dhillon of accumulating wealth far exceeding his known sources of income during his tenure from 2017 to 2022. Investigators are scrutinising bank accounts and financial transactions tied to Dhillon and his associates.
In July 2023, the VB filed a comprehensive 1,158-page chargesheet in a Faridkot court, revealing that while Dhillon’s declared income for the five-year period was ₹3.18 crore, his actual expenditure skyrocketed to ₹10.72 crore—leaving an unexplained gap of ₹7.53 crore.
The chargesheet also details irregular investments and alleged benami properties. Among the transactions under the scanner is a ₹2.7-crore farmhouse in New Chandigarh that Dhillon reportedly failed to disclose during questioning.
The authorities allege he bought 42 acres in Faridkot’s Mumara village under an associate’s name, alongside other properties through family members and aides.
Dhillon was originally arrested alongside two associates, Gursewak Singh and Rajwinder Singh, under the Prevention of Corruption Act and for criminal conspiracy, with the ED now mapping the broader financial network behind those assets.
