Lookout notice issued against Punjab's ex-minister Majithia

Two days after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia was named in a drug case by Punjab police, a lookout circular (LOC) was issued on Wednesday by the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) on the orders of the Union home ministry. In a correspondence to Punjab police, BOI said, "LOC shall remain in force until and unless a deletion request is received by the BOI from the originator itself."

Majithia was booked under Sections 25 (allowing premises to be used for commission of an offense), 27A (financing illicit traffic and harbouring offenders) and 29 (abetment and criminal conspiracy) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

The FIR was registered at the Punjab State Crime Police Station in Mohali, on the basis of a Special Task Force (STF) report in the drugs racket, submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2018 and since kept under wraps. The STF had taken into account the money laundering investigations carried out by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into eight drug cases in Punjab from the end of 2013 to 2016.


SAD president Sukhbir Badal's brother-in-law, Majithia, has been accused by Congress and other parties of having links with the state drug racket. This allegation has been denied by both Majithia and SAD. The LoC was issued after reports that MLA has reportedly gone underground to evade arrest in the drugs case registered at the Punjab State Crime Police Station.

An alert has been sounded at all major airports, seaports and Integrated Checkposts (ICP) to inform the police regarding movement of Majithia. His passport and other details have been shared with law enforcement agencies to prevent him from fleeing the country, said officials.