Enforcement Directorate summons PSPCL officials in PMLA case linked to Sanjeev Arora

The Enforcement Directorate summoned four people, including two senior Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd. officials, in a money laundering probe linked to arrested Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora, officials said on Saturday. The agency called IAS officer and PSPCL CMD Basant Garg, Director Commercial Harsharan Kaur Trehan, and two alleged associates for questioning in Delhi.

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Officials said the questioning was scheduled to start on Monday, May 18. The other two people summoned were Hemant Sood of Ludhiana and Jalandhar-based businessman Chandra Shekhar Aggarwal. Sood runs a financial investment and stockbroker firm named Findoc Finvest Private Ltd., officials added.

Enforcement Directorate summons under PMLA in Sanjeev Arora case

The summonses were issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, officials said. Investigators were examining alleged financial links tied to Arora’s case. Officials described Sood and Aggarwal as alleged associates of the arrested AAP leader. The central agency asked all four to depose before ED officials in Delhi.

Enforcement Directorate probe follows Sanjeev Arora arrest in GST fraud case

Arora, 62, was arrested by the ED on May 9 from an official residence in Chandigarh, officials said. The arrest followed raids connected to an alleged Rs 100 crore GST fraud case. Officials said the matter was linked to mobile phone sales. Arora held the portfolios of Power, Industry and Commerce.

After the arrest, the Bhagwant Mann-led government reassigned Arora’s portfolios to other ministers, officials said. The developments came as the ED continued its investigation into the suspected money trail. Officials said the case involved scrutiny of companies and individuals believed to be connected to the alleged fraud.

Enforcement Directorate custody request and court order in Sanjeev Arora case

On Saturday, a court in Gurugram extended Arora’s ED custody by two days, officials said. The ED produced Arora after a seven-day remand ended. Officials said the agency sought five more days of custody. The request cited alleged fund routing via shell companies.

Officials said the ED also told the court it needed more time to check alleged benami property purchases. The agency also wanted to question more people linked to the case, according to officials. However, the District and Sessions Judge granted only a two-day extension of custody, they said.

Separately, officials said Arora moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court to challenge the ED arrest. The legal challenge followed the May 9 arrest and the later custody hearings. The ED continued to call witnesses and examine records as part of the ongoing money laundering investigation, officials added.

With inputs from PTI