ED arrests Punjab Minister Sanjeev Arora in money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora in connection with a high-profile money laundering case following a series of raids conducted at his official residence and other locations. The arrest took place after approximately ten hours of questioning at his Sector 2 residence in Chandigarh on Saturday morning. Following the procedure, ED officials transported the AAP leader to Delhi in a convoy of vehicles for further interrogation, where he is expected to remain in custody overnight.

The central agency’s investigation centers on allegations of a massive ₹157.12 crore financial fraud involving fictitious mobile phone transactions and sham exports through shell companies. According to ED officials, Arora allegedly utilized these entities for the round-tripping of illicit funds from Dubai to India. The agency further detected that multiple fraudulent GST purchase bills were procured from non-existent firms in Delhi to claim fake Input Tax Credit (ITC), GST refunds, and duty drawbacks, resulting in significant losses to the state exchequer and personal financial gain.

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The arrest has triggered a massive political showdown, with AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal accusing the Modi administration of using investigative agencies to dismantle the party rather than targeting actual money laundering. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann echoed these sentiments, claiming the raids were a tactic to pressure leaders into joining the BJP, which he disparagingly referred to as the “Bharat Jalao Party”. However, AAP MP Raghav Chadha took a contradictory and critical stance, labeling the situation as the “biggest loot” and alleging that AAP has turned into a party of corrupt individuals who have hollowed out the state’s finances through fake companies in the UAE, Canada, and Australia.

Arora had previously been under the agency’s scanner, with raids conducted at his Ludhiana and Jalandhar premises nearly 20 days ago. Investigators suspect the minister used his political influence to provide protection to illegal betting operators in exchange for a share of their profits. The ED is also scrutinizing his alleged role in converting unaccounted betting money into legitimate investments through various entry operators and fraudulent export billing schemes.