Chandigarh, Dec. 1 -- The vigilance bureau (VB) has arrested liquor contractor Harpreet Singh Gulati, a close aide of former Punjab minister and Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikramjit Singh Majithia, in connection with the ongoing disproportionate assets (DA) case against the politician. According to investigators, Gulati allegedly facilitated illegal financial transactions between Majithia and liquor firms Akash Spirits, UV Enterprises, and AD Enterprises and further helped the politician acquire properties in Shimla and Delhi, using funds that were not accounted for in his declared income. After recovering the financial records and evidence, the VB arrested Gulati after naming him as a co-accused in the DA case and presented him before the duty magistrate in Mohali on Sunday. The court sent him to six-day police custody. The VB in an official release stated that there were 'quid pro quo' transactions between the two - Gulati entered the liquor business when Majithia became a minister in 2007 and Majithia built properties in Shimla and Delhi through the latter. The spokesperson further said that since the Akali government came into power in 2007, the liquor sector was virtually "captured by political interests". Majithia and Gulati benefitted from this influence, the VB stated. The bureau further revealed that Gulati's firms allegedly secured liquor licences at Majithia's instance from 2008, gaining a foothold in the regulated trade. In return, his firms allegedly paid Rs.4.25 crore (2008-09) and Rs.1.4 crore (2009-10) to Majithia's companies and family, funding a Sainik Farms, a farmhouse in Delhi and family benefits. In 2014-15, another Rs.5.49 crore flowed in the same way, repaying loans for Majithia-linked groupentities. "So far, transactions to the tune of approximately Rs.10 crore, being pumped into the companies linked to Majithia have surfaced," a VB spokesperson said, adding that the figure could be much higher and more arrests may follow In a parallel development, the vigilance team has filed an application in the Mohali court, seeking to declare Majithia's brother-in-law, Gajpat Singh Grewal, a fugitive. The bureau had recently named Grewal as an accused in the DA case and added the charge of criminal conspiracy. The court is scheduled to hear the application on December 1 (Monday). According to the petition, the VB issued repeated notices to Grewal at several addresses, including his home in Sangrur, and his properties in Basant Vihar and Defence Colony, New Delhi, but he allegedly failed to appear before investigators. As per the VB, Majithia has amassed over Rs.700 crore in assets - 1,200% higher than his legally declared income. The case claims that approximately Rs.540 crore of this wealth was generated through laundering of "drug money", allegedly linked to a 2013 international drug trafficking network. The probe stems from a 2018 anti-drug special task force (STF) report and an ongoing special investigation team (SIT) inquiry connected to a 2021 NDPS Act case registered against Majithia. Although NDPS charges were quashed in 2022 due to lack of evidence, investigators continued to track unexplained financial trails. The current FIR, registered on June 25 at the Mohali VB flying squad police station, invokes Sections 13(1)(b) and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, along with IPC provisions for criminal conspiracy. He was arrested in June this year after raids at 25 locations, including his residence in Amritsar. His bail plea was rejected by the Mohali court, and he remains lodged in Nabha jail under judicial custody....