The Enforcement Directorate carried out searches in a money laundering probe involving Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora and others in an alleged Rs 100 crore GST fraud case related to mobile phone sales. Raids were conducted in Delhi-Noida, Ludhiana, and Jalandhar in connection with Arora’s firm Hampton Sky Realty. Additionally, a raid was conducted at the premises of Municipal Corporation contractor Amit Bajaj in Jalandhar, who along with his brother, has been a significant contractor for government departments in Punjab and other states.
Industries Minister Arora was previously arrested by the ED and is currently in judicial custody. He challenged his arrest in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, citing violations of constitutional safeguards. Arora was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act from his official residence. The searches in May were part of a money laundering case involving Arora’s alleged conversion of industrial land for residential projects back in 2024 when he was a Rajya Sabha MP.
Hampton Sky Realty Ltd, formerly Ritesh Properties and Industries, denied all allegations following Arora’s arrest. The company emphasized compliance with laws in its mobile phone export operations, which began in May 2023. It stated that the business was aligned with government schemes like ‘Make in India’ and Production-Linked Incentive, highlighting India’s mobile phone export growth. The company refuted claims of wrongdoing, stating it was a victim of supplier-side fraud.
