High-octane action unfolded at the Shangri-La Hotel in New Delhi on Sunday night, May 4, 2025, when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) apprehended former Haryana Congress MLA Dharam Singh Chhoker in connection with an alleged money laundering scam worth ₹1,500 crore. The dramatic arrest, which was captured on CCTV, showed Chhoker attempting to flee as ED officials closed in on him.
Chhoker, 61, was reportedly at the hotel bar with his bodyguard and a friend when ED officials received a tip-off around 8:30 PM that he was present at the venue. Within half an hour, a team led by Navaneet Aggarwal, Joint Director of the ED’s Gurugram Zone, arrived at the hotel. As they confronted him, Chhoker and his bodyguard attempted to escape towards the exit, leading to a brief but intense chase.
In the video released by the ED, Chhoker can be seen resisting arrest, even trying to assault the officers and hotel staff during the scuffle. The ED stated, “Chhoker attempted to run from personal detention of IO and later also from the car several times by hurting others but couldn’t succeed.” Eventually, he was restrained and taken into custody at around 9:30 PM, marking the end of his months-long evasion of arrest.
The case against Chhoker dates back to November 2021, when he and his sons, Vikas and Sikandar, were booked under the anti-money laundering law. The ED alleges that the Chhokers defrauded over 1,500 homebuyers and misappropriated more than ₹500 crore through their real estate ventures, commonly known as the Mahira Group.
According to the ED, Chhoker’s companies collected approximately ₹616 crore from around 3,700 investors, promising affordable housing that was never delivered. The agency’s investigation revealed that they used forged documents, including fake bank guarantees, to obtain licenses for their housing projects in Gurugram’s Sectors 68, 103, and 104.
In March 2025, the ED had already attached assets worth ₹44.55 crore linked to Chhoker and his family, including three acres of agricultural land and several commercial and residential properties in Delhi, Faridabad, and Panipat. Despite these actions, Chhoker continued to evade authorities, prompting the issuance of seven non-bailable warrants against him.
Chhoker's son, Sikandar, was arrested in April 2024 and is currently out on bail, while Vikas remains at large. The family’s real estate dealings have sparked outrage among defrauded homebuyers, who have been left stranded without the promised housing.
The ED’s pursuit of Chhoker intensified after a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Gurugram declared him a proclaimed offender. In October 2024, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered the ED to apprehend Chhoker within 24 hours if he failed to surrender. However, he managed to evade capture until the recent arrest.
Chhoker, a former MLA from the Samalkha constituency in Haryana’s Panipat district, was once a close aide of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and held significant influence in local politics. His political career began in 2009 when he won the Samalkha seat on a Haryana Janhit Congress ticket before joining the Congress party. Although he won the 2019 assembly elections, he faced defeat in 2024 amid the ongoing money laundering allegations.
Following his arrest, Chhoker was produced before a Gurugram court, which granted the ED a six-day custody for further interrogation. The court proceedings are expected to expedite the investigation into the money laundering case, potentially providing a glimmer of hope for the defrauded homebuyers seeking justice.
As the ED continues to unravel the complex web of fraud associated with Chhoker and his family, the implications of this case resonate throughout Haryana, raising questions about accountability and the safeguarding of consumer rights in the real estate sector.
