GURUGRAM, MAY 10 — A special court on Sunday granted the Enforcement Directorate seven-day custody of Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora following his arrest in connection with a multi-crore money laundering investigation. The federal agency, which had initially requested a 10-day remand, stated that the interrogation is necessary to uncover the full extent of a fraudulent scheme involving mobile handset exports and illegal tax benefits.
Investigators stated that the case centers on the creation of fake purchase invoices exceeding ₹100 crore, purportedly issued by non-functional companies in Delhi. The agency asserted that these fabricated transactions allowed entities linked to the Minister to claim significant wrongful Input Tax Credits and GST refunds. During the hearing, the Directorate noted that evidence of “round-tripping” funds via international trade channels was uncovered during recent searches across Delhi, Gurugram, and Chandigarh.
Legal representatives for the Minister declared the proceedings to be a “politically motivated” action, noting that the case was formalized only shortly before the agency’s raids. The Aam Aadmi Party maintained that the central government is weaponizing investigative bodies to target its leadership in Punjab. Meanwhile, Hampton Sky Realty Limited, a company associated with the Minister, stated that it remains fully cooperative with the probe and reposes complete confidence in the judicial process.
