ED Arrests Punjab Minister Sanjeev Arora After Conducting Chandigarh Raids

Searches Conducted in Delhi and Gurugram

The teams from ED arrived at the Industries Minister's official residence in sector 2, Chandigarh around 7 am and started searches slightly after 7.25 am. As many as nearly 20 vehicles entered the residential complex of Arora whereas three dozens of CIA personnel and Special Forces were also deputed at his residence in order to provide security. Along with Chandigarh, search operations have also been carried out at two places in Delhi and in Hampton Sky Realty Ltd in Udyog Vihar, Gurugram.

Kejriwal Attacks BJP over ED Action

Lashing out at the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the ED raids, Arvind Kejriwal said that the people of Punjab are unhappy with the BJP's alleged misuse of central agencies such as the ED.

“A Punjabi will give you everything he has out of love, but if you shove him around, he'll hit back with full force. Modi ji, go ahead and carry out four more ED raids - BJP's deposits on all their seats will get forfeited. The ones you arrest will be out in four days, but the BJP won't be fit to set foot in Punjab for the next twenty years,” he said on social media platform X.

Bhagwant Mann Calls Agencies Political Tools

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann slammed the BJP and claimed that the central agencies such as ED, CBI and the IT department were being used as political weapons.

“For a long time, they have been using them for their politics. Be it Maharashtra, Odisha, Bihar, Karnataka, West Bengal. Now, Punjab is on their target," Mann said.

"The purpose of ED raids is not to recover black money or documents. The real intention is to pressure leaders into joining the BJP by threatening their businesses and reputation," he added.

Arora Faced Earlier ED Raids Too

In April, Arora and entities related to him were also raided by the ED, but under the civil proceedings of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Following the action, Arora had stated that he would cooperate fully with all investigating agencies and that the truth would ultimately come out.

In January 2024 he also had to undergo ED raids in relation to an ongoing money laundering case against him, wherein the ED is looking into allegations of alleged misuse of industrial plots for residential projects, and back then he was a Member of Parliament from Rajya Sabha.

Probe Linked to Fake GST Transactions

The current searches are part of a newly registered case under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). According to the agency, the money laundering probe relates to fake GST purchases of mobile phones worth over Rs 100 crore and the subsequent exports are alleged to have been utilized to round trip illicit funds from Dubai to India. It further claimed that fake GST purchase bills were allegedly taken from non-existent firms in Delhi to fraudulently claim input tax credit (ITC).