Desk Correspondent , Chandigarh - The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Punjab Industries and Power Minister Sanjeev Arora on Saturday, dealing a major blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the state. The arrest followed extensive searches at over a dozen locations in Punjab, Chandigarh, and Haryana, targeting Arora's official residence in Chandigarh, offices of his company Hampton Sky Realty Limited, and associates. This marks the first custody of a sitting minister in the Bhagwant Mann cabinet and the third ED raid on Arora in under a year. Punjab AAP chief and cabinet minister Aman Arora was also named in a separate money laundering and land scam probe involving real estate groups in Mohali.

Investigators allege a ₹157-crore GST and export fraud involving fake invoices from non-existent firms in Delhi-NCR to claim input tax credit and refunds on purported mobile phone purchases. Around ₹102.5 crore was reportedly routed through UAE-based shell entities. The ED had earlier attached bank accounts, demat holdings, and assets linked to Arora. In the parallel case against Aman Arora, the agency described a builder as a close associate of a high-ranking AAP leader, alleging political patronage. Bundles of cash were allegedly thrown from a Mohali building during raids, with videos going viral. Aman Arora denied wrongdoing, offering to quit politics if proven guilty and challenging a forensic probe of his phone.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann condemned the actions as BJP vendetta aimed at destabilizing his government, citing the recent defection of seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs, including several from Punjab. He alleged that ED probes against defectors like Ashok Mittal stopped after they joined the BJP. With assembly polls due in early 2027 and AAP's Rajya Sabha strength slashed, the dual crises have intensified pressure on the party, which governs only Punjab. Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia mocked the situation, predicting trouble for the "Aroras." Sanjeev Arora, a prominent Ludhiana businessman who holds key economic portfolios, had previously vowed full cooperation with the agency.