New Delhi, May 18: The Enforcement Directorate on Monday arrested AAP leader Deepak Singla in an alleged money laundering case following searches in Delhi and
Goa, officials said. Singla was a candidate for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) from the Vishwas Nagar assembly seat in Delhi. He was raided by the ED in 2024, too, as part of an investigation. The money laundering case is a fallout of a bank loan fraud. Singla was put under arrest after the searches led to the alleged recovery of incriminating documents, the officials said. Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Atishi on Monday strongly criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids at the residence of AAP leader Deepak Singla in Goa. Reacting to the searches, Atishi alleged that the BJP was attempting to gain access to the party’s internal organisational network and data under the guise of investigation. In a post shared on X, she claimed the action was politically motivated and linked it to AAP’s increasing support base in Goa. According to her, the ruling party at the Centre was trying to create fear among opposition workers and suppress AAP’s expansion in the coastal state through repeated use of central agencies. Punjab Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora Sent To Seven-Day ED Custody The remarks came days after Punjab Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora was sent to seven-day ED custody in connection with an alleged Rs 100-crore GST fraud-linked money laundering case. Arora was arrested by the central agency and later produced before a Gurugram court, where Sessions-cum-Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Judge Narender Sura observed that the accusations against him were “very serious”. The court further noted that custodial interrogation was necessary for the ED to trace the alleged money trail and uncover the broader financial network linked to the case. Following the arrest, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal sharply condemned the ED’s action. Both leaders accused the BJP-led Central government of misusing investigative agencies to target opposition parties.
