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Sanjeev Arora, the Minister for Electricity, Industry, Investment Promotion, and Local Government in Punjab, has been apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) following a search operation at his official residence located in Sector 2. This action is linked to an alleged money laundering case. Concurrently, the ED has temporarily seized assets associated with Arora and his company, Hampton Sky Realty Limited, under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) due to suspected violations involving fake exports amounting to ₹157.12 crores.

Arora is regarded as one of the most influential ministers in the Bhagwant Mann cabinet, playing a crucial role in establishing connections between the Aam Aadmi Party government and local industrialists in relation to the money laundering allegations. However, Punjab's Finance Minister, Harpal Singh Cheema, stated that there has been no official confirmation regarding any arrests. The ED has also not issued any formal statement regarding the reports of Arora's arrest.

Sources indicate that searches were conducted at five locations, including offices of Hampton Sky Realty Limited and Arora's residence in Delhi, Gurugram, and Chandigarh. The investigation has revealed a significant money laundering scheme allegedly orchestrated by Arora, involving fraudulent GST purchases of mobile phones valued over ₹100 crores and illegal money transfers from Dubai to India.

Additionally, fake GST purchase bills were obtained from several non-existent firms in Delhi to falsely claim income tax refunds. This scheme exploited GST returns on export loans and duty drawbacks, resulting in losses to the government treasury and personal misuse of funds.