The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora’s residence in Sector 2, Chandigarh, with heavy security deployed. The agency is searching four premises linked to Arora under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, spanning Chandigarh and Delhi-NCR. Additionally, raids were carried out at various locations in Delhi, Gurugram, and Chandigarh, including properties associated with Arora and Hampton Sky Realty Limited.
According to ED sources, the investigation involves alleged large-scale money laundering by Arora’s company through fake GST purchases of mobile phones exceeding Rs 100 crore. The probe also focuses on the movement of illicit funds between Dubai and India. The agency alleges that fake GST purchase bills were used to claim fraudulent Input Tax Credit and GST refunds, causing substantial losses to the national exchequer.
Punjab Cabinet Minister Harpal Singh Cheema criticized the raids, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of political targeting. He highlighted the extensive raid at Arora’s residence by the Enforcement Directorate as part of the BJP’s agenda. The ongoing investigation has not led to any official public statements from ED officials beyond confirming search operations under the PMLA framework.
In a previous incident in April, the ED had conducted raids on Arora and related entities under the civil provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Arora had also faced ED raids in 2024 in connection with a money laundering case related to the alleged misuse of industrial land for residential projects.
