Punjab Power, Industries, Investment Promotion and Local Government Minister Sanjeev Arora was arrested by sleuths of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after a prolonged search operation at his official residence in Chandigarh’s Sector 2.
Even as the entire rank and file of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, stood by him, the ED said Arora had been arrested in a money laundering case.
Arora is considered one of the most powerful ministers in the Bhagwant Mann Cabinet and is widely seen as the key link between the AAP government and the state’s industrialists.
ED officials had reached Arora’s Chandigarh residence in the early hours of Saturday morning. Around 20 ED officials arrived in eight vehicles. This was the third search conducted on the AAP leader, with another search operation having taken place less than a month ago.
Official ED sources said searches were conducted at five premises in Delhi, Gurugram and Chandigarh, including the office premises of Hampton Sky Realty Limited — promoted by Arora’s family — and the residence of Sanjeev Arora.
“ED had detected a case of large-scale money laundering allegedly carried out by Sanjeev Arora through his company involving fake GST purchases of mobile phones worth more than Rs 100 crore and subsequent exports used to round-trip illegitimate funds from Dubai to India.
“Multiple fake GST purchase bills were obtained from non-existing firms in Delhi to claim fake ITC, refund of GST on export credit and duty drawback, thereby causing loss to the exchequer and personal enrichment,” an ED official said.
