The Enforcement Directorate (ED) apprehended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Deepak Singla after searches at various locations linked to him and others in connection with an alleged bank fraud-related money laundering case. Raids were carried out in Delhi and Goa at places associated with Singla and suspected hawala operators, leading to Singla’s arrest. Investigators believe Singla played a role in managing hawala-based fund transfers between Delhi and Goa for the AAP.
Sources suggest that Singla, along with his uncle Ashok Kumar Mittal, brother Raman Singla, and Harish Singla, allegedly defrauded the Oriental Bank of Commerce of over Rs 150 crore. The ED suspects that the funds were channeled to companies under Singapore control, with some alleged proceeds of crime later brought back to India through hawala channels for illicit purposes. Singla was arrested by the ED based on these allegations and the ongoing probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
In response to the ED’s actions, senior AAP leader and former Delhi Chief Minister accused the BJP of using central agencies for political motives. Atishi, in a video message, criticized the BJP’s actions in Goa, claiming that even ED raids would not rescue the BJP. She alleged that similar tactics were employed against the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal during elections.
Another AAP leader and Punjab Minister, Sanjeev Arora, appeared before a Haryana court and was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody. Arora, arrested by the ED in Chandigarh on May 9 in connection with an alleged GST fraud case, denied all allegations, stating that the company he led complied with relevant laws. AAP’s national convener, Arvind Kejriwal, expressed support for Arora, calling him brave and patriotic.
