The Enforcement Directorate (ED) again conducted raids at the residence of Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora in Sector 2, Chandigarh on Saturday morning, with around 20 vehicles and heavy security personnel deployed during the operation.
According to ED sources, the agency is carrying out search operations at four premises linked to Sanjeev Arora and his associates under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The searches are being conducted across Chandigarh and the Delhi-NCR region, including the minister’s official residence allotted to him as a Cabinet member.
ED sources further stated that raids were also carried out at five locations in Delhi, Gurugram, and Chandigarh, including office premises of Hampton Sky Realty Limited and residential properties linked to Arora.
As per ED inputs, the agency has detected a case of alleged large-scale money laundering involving Arora’s company, reportedly linked to fake GST purchases of mobile phones worth over Rs 100 crore. The probe also includes allegations of subsequent exports and “round-tripping” of illicit funds between Dubai and India.
ED sources claimed that multiple fake GST purchase bills were allegedly obtained from non-existent firms based in Delhi to claim fraudulent Input Tax Credit (ITC) and GST refunds on export credit, along with duty drawback benefits. These alleged transactions, according to the agency, caused significant loss to the national exchequer and resulted in personal enrichment.
Meanwhile, reacting to the raids, Punjab Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema alleged political targeting. He said, “Look, the Bharatiya Janata Party has once again for the second time, targeted our Cabinet colleague Sanjeev Arora at his residence. This morning, a very large raid was conducted at his house by the Enforcement Directorate. This is part of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s design…”
The investigation is currently ongoing, and ED officials have not issued an official public statement beyond confirming search operations under the PMLA framework.
In April, the ED had raided Arora and entities linked to him under the civil provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
He was raided by the ED in 2024 also in a money laundering case linked to alleged misuse of industrial land for residential projects.
--IANS
