CHANDIGARH: Enforcement Directorate sleuths on Monday raided the premises of AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora as a part of a money laundering probe linked to a land fraud case. Besides Arora (61), the others included realtors and investors.The ED action drew a sharp reaction from AAP. “This is not an investigation against corruption; it is clearly an orchestrated attempt by the Prime Minister to crush one party by using every resource, agency, and power at his disposal,” said AAP’s national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. “We have God on our side,” he added.Sources said the ED team raided Arora’s residence at Hampton Homes colony in Ludhiana as he is the owner of Ritesh Properties and Industries Ltd. He was allotted an industrial plot in Ludhiana by the state government a few years ago when the Congress was in power in the state. Arora allegedly breached the allotment conditions by setting up commercial and residential projects.Besides raids at his Ludhiana home, his house in Gurugram was also searched by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.The ED searches also included premises of Hemant Sood of Ludhiana and Chander Aggarwal of Jalandhar. Both are directors of the company. Sources said Pardeep Aggarwal of Royal Industries in Ludhiana is also under ED scrutiny and his premises are being raided. “The ED has raided 17 locations in Punjab,’’ said an official.Sources said that the ED has been investigating Arora even before he became an MP. “I am a law-abiding citizen, will cooperate fully with agencies,’’ Arora stated on ‘X’.
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