Dharam Singh Chhoker, former Congress MLA from Samalkha in Haryana, has been arrested by the En- forcement Directorate (ED) in a big money-laundering case involving over Rs 500 crore. The arrest took place at a luxury hotel in New Delhi where Chhoker had been hiding. According to ED officials, Chhoker, 61, had been on the run for months in a fraud case related to cheat- ing more than 1,500 people, mostly homebuyers. The ED claims that Chhoker, along with his sons Vi- kas and Sikandar, col- lected huge sums of money through a company named Sai Aaina Farms and sev- eral other linked firms but did not deliver the promised plots or homes. The arrest was made during a secret operation named ‘Dhappa’, after ED received information that Chhoker was spotted at the bar of Shangri-La Ho- tel in Delhi. A special ED team rushed to the spot and caught him there. Sources said Chhoker tried to escape but was overpowered and taken into custody. It is learnt that he would be produced in a court in Gurugram, where ED officials are likely to request his custody for questioning. Earlier, a special court dealing with money laundering cases had issued several nonbailable warrants against Chhoker and his elder son Vikas, who is still absconding. The court had ordered both to appear by May 19, but they did not turn up. His younger son, Sikandar Chhoker, was arrested in the same case last year but is currently out on bail. Dharam Singh Chhoker was a two-time MLA from Samalkha in Panipat district. He contested the last Haryana Assembly elections on a Congress ticket but lost to BJP’s Manmohan Badhana.
