New Delhi : Punjab Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora was arrested on Saturday after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out fresh raids against him and persons allegedly linked to him as part of a newly registered money laundering probe. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal launched a sharp attack on the BJP after Arora’s, claiming the crackdown would politically backfire on the party.
Kejriwal said discussions about the ED raids had reached “every household” in Punjab and alleged that people, including BJP workers, were upset with the Centre’s approach towards the state. ED teams reached Arora’s official residence in Chandigarh’s Sector 2 around 7 am and began search operations shortly after 7.25 am. Officials arrived in nearly 20 vehicles, while around three dozen CIA and Special Forces personnel were deployed for security.
The ED alleged the probe relates to fake GST purchases of mobile phones worth more than Rs 100 crore and subsequent exports allegedly used to “round-trip” illegitimate funds from Dubai to India. According to the agency, fake GST purchase bills were allegedly obtained from non-existent firms in Delhi to claim fraudulent input tax credit (ITC). The latest raids come less than a month after the ED searched Arora and linked entities on April 17 under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).
Arora, 62, is an AAP MLA from Ludhiana West and had earlier said he would fully cooperate with investigators while expressing confidence that “truth will prevail”. The minister was also raided by the ED in 2024 in connection with an alleged industrial land misuse case when he was serving as a Rajya Sabha MP. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann accused the BJP-led Centre of using agencies such as the ED and CBI as “weapons” against Opposition parties.
Kejriwal, in a strongly worded post, alleged Punjab had been “coerced” and “ill-treated” by the Centre over the past few years. “Modi ji has got daily ED raids started in Punjab soon after the Bengal polls concluded,” he alleged. The former Delhi chief minister also accused the Centre of targeting Punjab’s water rights, attempting to take over Punjab University and withholding rural development funds before “unleashing” ED raids in the state.
Drawing a comparison with Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Kejriwal alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi was now trying to politically “capture” Punjab after targeting other parts of the country. Punjab, taking inspiration from the sacrifices of Sikh Gurus, will face Modi ji’s torture and save the whole country from it, he said. The ED has stepped up actions in Punjab over recent weeks ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
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