The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches on Friday at multiple premises linked to Punjab Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora as part of an ongoing investigation. The raids took place in Ludhiana and other locations associated with Arora, officials confirmed.
Arora, a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), previously faced scrutiny from the ED in 2024, when the agency alleged that companies connected to him contributed to state revenue losses and generated substantial proceeds of crime through the misuse of industrial land for residential projects.
Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal criticized the latest raids, noting that it marked the second operation against an AAP figure within a span of three days. He questioned the effectiveness of these actions by asking if any “black money” had been recovered from the numerous raids targeting AAP leaders.
In a statement on social media platform X, senior AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj remarked, “The ED has now raided Punjab Minister Sanjeev Arora. This is a clear pattern. This is how BJP starts its preparation for a state election.” His comments come in the wake of consecutive actions involving AAP officials in Punjab over recent days.
Earlier in the week, the ED also conducted searches at the residence of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Kumar Mittal in Jalandhar, as well as at premises connected to his educational institutions in Punjab and Haryana under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). This raid attracted attention as it followed Mittal’s appointment as the party’s deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, succeeding Raghav Chadha.
