New Delhi, Feb 7: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on Tuesday at 10 locations associated with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s personal secretary, Bibhav Kumar, and others connected to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The action is part of the agency’s ongoing money laundering probe related to the Delhi Jal Board case.
Apart from Kumar, the ED also targeted Rajya Sabha member ND Gupta and other individuals linked to the AAP during the coordinated searches across various locations.
The ED’s investigation is centered on the Delhi Jal Board case, and the agency has been delving into potential money laundering activities. In connection with this case, the agency had arrested the former chief engineer of the Jal Board last month under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Additionally, a businessman was arrested under similar charges.
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The case revolves around allegations that Jagdish Kumar Arora, the then chief engineer of the Delhi Jal Board, awarded a contract worth ₹38 crore to NKG Infrastructure Ltd. without the company meeting the required technical eligibility criteria. The investigation revealed that NKG Infrastructure Ltd. secured the contract by submitting forged or false documents.
Further inquiry exposed that NKG Infrastructure Ltd. sub-contracted the work to Integral Screws Ltd., owned by Anil Kumar Aggarwal. It was alleged that Aggarwal, upon receiving funds, transferred around ₹3 crore as a bribe to Jagdish Kumar Arora through various means, including cash and bank transactions. Bank accounts of associates and relatives of Arora were reportedly used for transferring bribe amounts.
Reacting to the raids, AAP leader Atishi accused the BJP-led central government of attempting to intimidate AAP leaders. She stated, “The BJP government is trying to scare the AAP using the probe agencies.”
This development follows the recent move by the ED to file a complaint against Arvind Kejriwal for the fifth time in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. The complaint was filed under various sections, including Section 63 (4) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, for Kejriwal’s non-compliance with summons issued by the ED.
