Watch: ED sleuths pin down fleeing ex-Congress MLA Dharam Singh Chhokar outside Delhi hotel
Congress MLA Dharam Singh Chhokar
inside the Shangri-La Hotel in central Delhi on Sunday night.
— PTI_News (@PTI_News)
Sources described ED officials received a late-evening tip-off that Chhokar—wanted in a Rs 363 crore money laundering case—was spotted at Grappa, the hotel's plush ground-floor bar.
ED joint director Navaneet Agrawal from Gurgaon zone arrived at the hotel.
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Minutes later, he locked eyes on Chhokar at the bar. As more ED officials reached the spot and informed Chhokar about the seven non-bailable warrants issued against him, the situation escalated.
Sources said that Chhokar, aided by his bodyguards, attempted to flee when he realized he was about to be taken into custody. They tried to force their way to the exit through the hotel lobby, aiming to reach a waiting car at the portico.
However, ED joint director Navaneet Agrawal pursued him through the lobby. In the chaos that followed, the former MLA allegedly tried to assault ED officials and hotel staff in a desperate bid to escape.
Agrawal managed to pin him down, and the ED team eventually restrained Chhokar and placed him in their vehicle.
CCTV footage showed Chhokar refusing to cooperate and attempting to escape from the car, prompting the team to call in a local constable for assistance. He was then taken to the ED office for questioning and subsequently arrested. On Monday, a Gurgaon court remanded him to six days of ED custody.
Sikander, son of Chhokar, had previously been apprehended by ED in connection with this case. In July 2023, the agency confiscated substantial assets, including properties, vehicles, cash and jewellery valued at several crores.
Chhokar, who represented Samalkha constituency twice as an MLA—initially on an HJC ticket in 2009 and subsequently as a Congress legislator in 2019—was unsuccessful in his recent attempt during the 2024 election.
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