Haryana (Gurugram) [India], May 10 : The Gurugram sessions court has granted a seven-day remand of Punjab Minister Sanjeev Arora after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) presented him before the court on Saturday.
The ED had sought a 10-day remand in the court, following his arrest in connection with an ongoing Rs 100 crore money laundering investigation linked to alleged fraudulent Goods and Services Tax (GST) transactions.
Earlier on Saturday, the probe agency arrested Punjab minister Arora after a day-long search operation carried out across multiple locations associated with him and his business entities. The raids were conducted under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
According to officials, ED teams initiated coordinated searches early on Saturday at five premises spread across Delhi, Gurugram and Chandigarh. Of these, four locations were directly linked to Arora and his associated entities, while one office premises belonged to Hampton Sky Realty Limited, which is also under the agency's scanner in the case.
ED officials claim that Arora, through his company, generated fraudulent purchase invoices for mobile phones worth over Rs 100 crore from non-existent firms based in Delhi. These transactions were allegedly used to claim undue input tax credit (ITC), along with wrongful GST refunds on export credits and duty drawbacks.
Meanwhile, Hampton Sky Realty Limited issued an official statement in response to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) action and Arora's arrest, asserting that it has "full faith in the judiciary and the legal process."
Presenting its position on the allegations, the company said it entered the mobile phone export business in May 2023 in line with the Centre's 'Make in India' initiative and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. It added that the UAE remains a major market for Indian mobile exports.
The firm claimed that its export operations were legitimate, and it was a "victim of the GST fraud."
The arrest has invited political reactions from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership. AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal alleged misuse of central agencies by the BJP-led Centre.