The Enforcement department on Saturday morning, May 9, 2026, raided several locations in Delhi, Gurugram, and Chandigarh, including the Sector 2 residence of Punjab's Local Bodies and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sanjeev Arora. Central security personnel were also deployed during the raid. It is reported that the team, which arrived in about 20 vehicles, examined documents and records related to financial transactions for a long time.
Following the ED action as part of an investigation into a money laundering case, Punjab politics has once again heated up. According to sources, the ED conducted simultaneous raids at five locations, including the offices of Hampton Sky Realty Ltd and premises linked to Sanjeev Arora.
The ED's preliminary investigation has revealed that input tax credit (ITC) was illegally claimed through fraudulent GST purchase invoices related to the mobile phone business. It is alleged that GST refunds and duty drawbacks were obtained by showing fictitious purchases in the names of several non-existent firms in Delhi.
The investigating agency also suspects that efforts were made to repatriate the money from Dubai to India through exports, resulting in significant losses to the government treasury.
Third raid in a year
According to reports, this is the third raid on Arora's premises in the past year, and the second within a month. Previously, the ED team has raided the premises of several prominent businessmen and political figures in Punjab. Recently, action was taken in a case involving two builders at Western Towers in Mohali, where claims of the alleged discovery of large amounts of cash were widely discussed.
Additionally, the ED previously raided the premises of Rajya Sabha member Ashok Mittal. Another businessman, who later joined the BJP, was also raided. These ongoing actions have brought the opposition and the Aam Aadmi Party face-to-face.
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Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann targeted the central government and the BJP over the ED's action. He wrote, "Today, once again, the BJP's ED has come to Sanjeev Arora's house. In one year, this is the third time the BJP's ED has come to his house. And in the last month, the second time. Yet, they haven't found anything. I want to tell Modi ji that Punjab is the land of the Gurus, which even Aurangzeb could not subdue. This is the land of Bhagat Singh, who never bowed before the British, so Punjab will never bow before Modi's tactics. The end of this unethical alliance of ED-BJP will begin from Punjab itself."
The Chief Minister further stated that Punjab will respond to the "unethical alliance" between the BJP and the ED. Meanwhile, senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia also reacted to the matter. He said that the recent cases emerging in Punjab clearly indicate the need to investigate large-scale financial irregularities in the state. Majithia said that those who claimed to be honest are now increasingly being targeted by investigative agencies.
Finance Minister Harpal Cheema also targeted the BJP.
Finance Minister Harpal Cheema stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party is once again hatching a political conspiracy targeting the Punjab government and its ministers. “Punjab is the land of saints, gurus, brave warriors who stood like a rock whenever the country was attacked by outsiders. People of Punjab played a vital role in protecting the unity and integrity. During independence, the people of Punjab sacrificed the most. BJP is a threat to democracy. BJP leverages its unethical alliance with ED and other central agencies in states where elections are imminent. BJP’s design is hate-mongering, and people of Punjab do not tolerate anyone who spreads hate. BJP is misusing ED, CBI, the 3 crore population of Punjab will teach them a lesson.”
According to sources, the ED's action was based on inputs related to an alleged money trail, property investments, and business transactions. However, no detailed official statement has yet been issued by the agency. Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party leaders have called it a political vendetta, while BJP leaders maintain that the investigating agencies are acting within the law. The matter is likely to intensify political rhetoric in Punjab politics in the coming days.