Enforcement Directorate conducts fresh raids on Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora, second crackdown on Aam Aadmi Party in a week

Enforcement Directorate on Friday carried out searches at the residence of Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora in Ludhiana, marking the second action against a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party within a week.

Officials arrived at Arora’s residence early in the morning, with central security forces deployed outside. Simultaneous searches were also conducted at multiple locations linked to his associates and business interests in Punjab.

Among those under the scanner are Arora’s business associate Hemanth Sood and Jalandhar-based businessman Chandrasekhar Aggarwal. Premises connected to Arora’s family, including those linked to his son Kavya Arora—who is associated with Hampton Sky Realty Ltd—were also searched.

This comes days after the agency conducted searches under FEMA at premises linked to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal and his educational institutions across Punjab and Haryana.

Reacting to the development, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal questioned the intent behind the कार्रवाई, alleging political targeting. In a post on X, he asked whether any black money had been recovered from such raids and accused the Centre of misusing agencies for political purposes.

According to the ED, Arora is linked to real estate firm Hampton Sky Realty Ltd, which is under investigation for alleged financial irregularities. These include suspected violations related to land use, inflated transactions to manipulate share value, insider trading, and routing of funds from overseas.

The agency has also flagged alleged links between Arora’s associates and networks involved in hawala transactions and betting operations. It claims that funds were routed through foreign channels and reinvested in India through layered financial structures, including the use of investment routes.

Further, investigators suspect that certain companies connected to the case may have been used to legitimise unaccounted money through fabricated transactions and shell entities. Authorities are continuing their searches and examination of financial records as part of the ongoing probe.