ED lands at AAP MP Arora’s house

Jalandhar : The Enforcement Directorate on Monday searched multiple locations in Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Gurugram and Delhi in connection with a land “fraud” case against AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjeev Arora and others, official sources said. About 16-17 locations, including the house of the 61-year-old MP at Ludhiana (Punjab) and Gurugram (Haryana), are being searched, they said.

Premises linked to real estate businessman Hemant Sood and another person, Chandra Shekhar Agrawal, in Jalandhar are also among the locations being searched. Arora said he doesn’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,” he posted on X.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia posted on X that the raids against their MP, also a businessman, is an attempt to break their party. But AAP members will not stop, get sold or get scared, Sisodia posted. 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.

God is with the Aam Aadmi Party and there is no need to be scared because no wrong has been done, party convenor Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday as the ED searched multiple locations linked to AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora as part of a money laundering probe.

Kejriwal charged the BJP-led Centre with targeting the party through its agencies in the name of a corruption probe. The former Delhi chief minister added the agencies had earlier arrested him, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and other party leaders. “It’s not that some corruption investigation is on. It appears that the prime minister is after one party and has deployed all the resources and agencies to finish the party and its leaders,” Kejriwal said.