New Delhi, June 9: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of targeting traders in Punjab, alleging that the agency was conducting raids on small Hindu businessmen and subjecting them to harassment.
In a post on social media platform X, Kejriwal claimed that ED teams were carrying out searches at the premises of traders in Punjab and described the action as an attempt to intimidate the business community.”The ED is once again conducting raids on Hindu traders in Punjab. Small traders are being harassed,” Kejriwal said.
Appealing to the trading community to remain calm, he asserted that the Punjab government stood firmly with them.”I appeal to all traders not to panic. The entire Punjab and the Punjab government are with you, and together we will face these actions,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday conducted searches at six locations across Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and the Delhi-NCR region as part of an ongoing investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
According to officials, the searches were carried out at residential and business premises linked to individuals and entities under investigation in connection with an alleged real estate fraud case involving Hampton Sky Realty Ltd.
The operation covered premises in Ludhiana and Jalandhar in Punjab, Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, and the Delhi-Noida region. Officials said the searches targeted both residences and business establishments associated with persons and entities being examined in the case.
“The search operations are part of an ongoing investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Premises being covered include residences and business offices connected with persons and entities under investigation in the Hampton Sky Realty Ltd case,” officials said.
The Enforcement Directorate has not commented on Kejriwal’s allegations. Further investigation in the case is currently underway.