The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted searches at multiple locations in Punjab and other states in connection with an alleged money laundering probe linked to Hampton Sky Realty, a firm associated with Punjab Local Bodies Minister Sanjeev Arora, officials said.
As part of the operation, ED teams carried out searches at the premises of Jalandhar-based chartered accountant and municipal contractor Amit Bajaj, who is known to have professional links with Arora during his tenure as Local Bodies Minister. Sources said the investigation relates to allegations of misuse of investors’ funds in the Hampton Sky Realty project.
The searches were conducted simultaneously at several locations, including Delhi-NCR, Ludhiana and Jalandhar. Officials said Amit Bajaj’s premises were covered as part of the wider investigation. Bajaj and his elder brother Inderjit Bajaj are associated with firms that have executed road and street-lighting projects for municipal corporations and government departments in Punjab, Gujarat and other states.
Amid reports that raids had also been conducted at the residence of an advocate named Amit Bajaj in Jalandhar’s Shaheed Udham Singh Nagar area, the lawyer clarified that no ED action had taken place at his residence.
Reacting to the raids, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal criticised the agency’s action and alleged that the ED was targeting small Hindu businessmen. In a post on social media platform X, Kejriwal said the “ED party” was harassing small Hindu traders while ignoring bigger industrialists and corporations.
Amit Bajaj is a well-known chartered accountant in Jalandhar and provides tax consultancy services to several businesses and corporate clients across Punjab. He specialises in income tax, GST, corporate auditing and business consultancy. He is also actively associated with the Jalandhar branch of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) and frequently participates in awareness programmes and seminars on taxation and financial regulations.
Apart from his professional practice, Bajaj’s family has been engaged in municipal contracting work in Jalandhar for more than three decades through its firm, Bajaj Consultancy, which undertakes street-lighting and road infrastructure projects. Sources familiar with local political circles said Bajaj is associated with the AAP and has played a role in supporting the party’s activities in the region, although he does not hold any official position within the organisation.
Responding to Kejriwal’s remarks, BJP leader Anil Sareen said central investigative agencies function independently and rejected allegations of political targeting. He, however, alleged that vigilance agencies in Punjab were being used for political purposes by the state government.
The latest action comes amid a series of high-profile ED operations in Punjab over the past month. On May 7, the agency conducted searches linked to the Suntec City land scam case at locations associated with businessman Nitin Goyal and former Deputy Speaker Bir Devinder Singh in Mohali’s Kharar area. On May 9, the ED raided the official Chandigarh residence and other premises linked to Minister Sanjeev Arora before arresting him the same day in a money laundering case.
On May 26, the agency searched premises linked to Chandigarh Royal City Promoters and Royal Estate Group in Zirakpur in connection with an alleged cheque-bounce and fund diversion fraud involving GMADA funds worth Rs 32.67 crore.