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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Panjab Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora on 9 May from his Sector 2, Chandigarh residence after fresh raids against him and persons allegedly linked to him. ED also searched two locations in Delhi and Gurugram, Haryana. A Gurugram special court sent the Aam Aadmi Party Member of Legislative Assembly to seven days of ED custody. The action follows a fresh case registered under the criminal provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED alleged the probe relates to fake Goods and Service Tax (GST) purchases of mobile phones worth more than USD 10M and subsequent exports allegedly used to round-trip illegitimate funds from Dubai to India. According to the agency, fake GST purchase bills were obtained from non-existent firms in Delhi to claim fraudulent Input Tax Credit. ED had earlier raided Arora on 17 Apr under the Foreign Exchange Management Act and attached his company Hampton Sky Realty worth USD 16M. Arora’s cabinet portfolios have been distributed among other Panjab ministers. Aman Arora was allotted Industry and Investment Promotion, Harjot Bains Local Government, and Tarunpreet Sond Power. Additionally, on 7 May, ED had searched builders and real estate developers in Panjab and Chandigarh as part of a PMLA investigation. ED searched Nitin Gohal and Pritpal Singh Dhindsa who are associates of Officer on Special Duty to Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Rajbir Ghuman, for helping builders who defaulted in fee payments to Greater Mohali Area Development Authority and arranging political protection for them. When ED raided Gohal's home, two bags containing cash were thrown from the 9th floor creating a flutter in the area. After the searches, ED has named Panjab AAP chief Aman Arora in its statement. Arora has said he will quit politics if any wrongdoing is proved against him. Subsequently, on 11 May night, the Central Bureau of Investigation raided a five-star hotel in Chandigarh when Inspector OP Rana, reader to Panjab Vigilance Bureau chief director Sharad Satya Chauhan was striking a deal through middleman Raghav Goel with a complainant and recovered USD 13K paid as bribe (earlier coverage).
Directorate of Enforcement Photo by The Hindu
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