Ludhiana (Punjab): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at the houses of AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjeev Arora in Chandigarh Road and Hemant Sood, a close financier of former Punjab cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, on Monday morning.
The raid comes on the heels of Ashu's name cropping up in the transport tender scam. Several foreign transactions in connection with Sood came under the ED scanner. But the ED officials are yet to confirm the matter officially.
Currently, the ED is thoroughly questioning Sood and Arora to gather trail of their properties. The mobile phones of the duo have been seized while a close watch has been kept on the visitors since morning.
Earlier Ashu was arrested by an ED team from his Jalandhar office in a money laundering case. Ashu has been accused of committing fraud in the tenders to the tune of Rs 2 crore when he was the minister of food and civil supplies. Irregularities were also unearthed in labour and transportation tenders for the mandis or vegetable markets. The ED search yielded property documents worth Rs 1.5 crore along with a seizure of Rs 30 lakh.
Approximately 16-17 locations as well as properties associated with Sood and another individual Chandra Shekhar Agarwal are being searched.
Arora said he didn't exactly know the reason that warranted the searches. "I am a law abiding citizen, am not sure about the reason for search operation, will cooperate fully with agencies and make sure all their queries are answered," Arora posted on his X handle.
I am a law abiding citizen, am not sure about the reason for search operation, will cooperate fully with agencies and make sure all their queries are answered.
— Sanjeev Arora (@MP_SanjeevArora) October 7, 2024
Officials said the searches are being carried out under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and are linked to a land "fraud" case. It is alleged, according to the sources, that Arora transferred an industrial plot in the name of his company in an "illegal" manner.
The opposition leaders fully utilised the opportunity to launch a barrage of criticism.
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