The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at four locations connected to Punjab Industry Minister Sanjeev Arora and his associates under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002. This marks the third raid within a year, with previous searches occurring in Chandigarh and the Delhi-NCR region. Among the premises searched was Arora’s official residence as a Cabinet minister in Chandigarh.
In response to the raid, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accused the BJP of misusing central agencies. Mann criticized the repeated ED visits to Arora’s house, stating that despite multiple searches, nothing incriminating has been found. He emphasized Punjab’s historical resistance to oppressive tactics, warning of consequences for the alleged unethical alliance between the ED and BJP.
Arora, a legislator from Ludhiana (West), had previously faced ED raids in 2024 in connection with a money laundering case involving the conversion of industrial land for residential projects. The ED’s current investigations are reportedly linked to Hampton Sky Realty Ltd., focusing on an alleged Rs 100 crore fake GST mobile phone purchase and export racket associated with money laundering activities.
