The Crossbill News Desk
A special court dealing with cases under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act (PMLA) in Gurugram on Sunday (May 10) remanded Punjab industries minister Sanjeev Arora to seven days of custody with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged Rs 100-crore GST fraud-linked money laundering investigation, reported news agency PTI.
The minister was produced before the court following his arrest after searches conducted by the central agency.
The ED argued that custodial interrogation was necessary to trace the alleged flow of illegal funds and identify the network involved. Accepting the agency’s submissions, the court noted the gravity of the accusations and allowed custodial questioning.
“Since the allegations against the accused are very serious and the ED is seeking to decode the money trail, role of the accused, vis-a-vis his persons/aides, who facilitated the offence of money laundering, so as to get to know as to how the accused persons were successful in generating proceeds of crime, in opinion of the court, a valid ground exists for the applicant for custodial interrogation of the accused,” said Judge Narender Sura of the Sessions-cum-special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court.
According to the investigation, Arora was arrested after ED teams conducted searches on May 9 at multiple locations, including his official residence in Chandigarh. The agency has also examined records linked to Gurugram-based Hampton Sky Realty Ltd (HSRL), where Arora had served as director and shareholder.
The company issued a statement denying any wrongdoing and said it has faith in the legal process while extending full cooperation to authorities, reported PTI.
The ED informed the court that during the 2023-24 financial year, the firm allegedly sold mobile phones worth Rs 157.12 crore to various domestic and overseas entities, claiming that as CMD, Arora was responsible for overseeing business operations connected with the alleged illicit transactions.
The arrest has triggered sharp political reactions in Punjab, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal condemning the action. Leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government of deploying central agencies such as the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation as “weapons” to intimidate opposition leaders into joining the BJP.
Earlier, Arora’s counsel had argued before the court that a “false and frivolous” case was “cooked up” against the minister and maintained that “no prima facie evidence” had been collected by the investigating officer prior to his arrest.
The matter will now proceed as the ED continues its interrogation aimed at establishing the alleged money-laundering trail.
The minister was produced before the court following his arrest after searches conducted by the central agency.
The ED argued that custodial interrogation was necessary to trace the alleged flow of illegal funds and identify the network involved. Accepting the agency’s submissions, the court noted the gravity of the accusations and allowed custodial questioning.
“Since the allegations against the accused are very serious and the ED is seeking to decode the money trail, role of the accused, vis-a-vis his persons/aides, who facilitated the offence of money laundering, so as to get to know as to how the accused persons were successful in generating proceeds of crime, in opinion of the court, a valid ground exists for the applicant for custodial interrogation of the accused,” said Judge Narender Sura of the Sessions-cum-special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court.
According to the investigation, Arora was arrested after ED teams conducted searches on May 9 at multiple locations, including his official residence in Chandigarh. The agency has also examined records linked to Gurugram-based Hampton Sky Realty Ltd (HSRL), where Arora had served as director and shareholder.
The company issued a statement denying any wrongdoing and said it has faith in the legal process while extending full cooperation to authorities, reported PTI.
The ED informed the court that during the 2023-24 financial year, the firm allegedly sold mobile phones worth Rs 157.12 crore to various domestic and overseas entities, claiming that as CMD, Arora was responsible for overseeing business operations connected with the alleged illicit transactions.
The arrest has triggered sharp political reactions in Punjab, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Arvind Kejriwal condemning the action. Leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government of deploying central agencies such as the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation as “weapons” to intimidate opposition leaders into joining the BJP.
Earlier, Arora’s counsel had argued before the court that a “false and frivolous” case was “cooked up” against the minister and maintained that “no prima facie evidence” had been collected by the investigating officer prior to his arrest.
The matter will now proceed as the ED continues its interrogation aimed at establishing the alleged money-laundering trail.
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