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ED concludes 36-hour search at properties linked to AAP Moga MLA
The searches were conducted as part of a money-laundering investigation into alleged fraudulent acquisition of government land and wrongful disbursement of compensation
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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday concluded its searches at the Moga residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Dr Amandeep Kaur Arora and six other locations linked to her after an operation lasting nearly 36 hours.
The searches were conducted as part of a money-laundering investigation into alleged fraudulent acquisition of government land and wrongful disbursement of compensation.
The agency’s teams from its Chandigarh zonal office began the operation around 6am on Wednesday. The premises covered included Arora’s residence in Moga, a flat at Icon Heights, properties linked to her husband, Dr Rakesh Arora, family members and associates, and a de-addiction hospital associated with her husband. Arora was present at her residence during the searches.
The ED has not yet issued an official statement detailing the outcome of the operation or whether any incriminating material was recovered.
Emerging from her residence after being questioned for nearly 36 hours, Arora accused the central agency of acting at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to intimidate AAP leaders in Punjab ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.
She alleged that ED officials pressured her to join the BJP and even offered her a ministerial position if the party came to power in Punjab. She further claimed that investigators were receiving repeated phone calls and instructions while questioning her.
Arora maintained that she fully cooperated with the agency and responded to all questions put to her. She claimed that nothing suspicious was recovered from her residence or the other locations searched. She also alleged that she was questioned about several properties that neither belonged to her nor were associated with her. According to the MLA, the compensation-related matter under investigation dates back to the Congress government’s tenure.
A first-time legislator, 44-year-old Arora is the president of the AAP’s Punjab women’s wing. The party recently renominated her from the Moga assembly constituency for the 2027 elections.
The ED’s investigation stems from a Punjab Police FIR registered on June 16, 2024, at Dharamkot police station. The case relates to alleged fraudulent mutation of government land acquired for the construction of National Highway 754A and the subsequent wrongful disbursement of compensation by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
According to the ED, revenue official (patwari) Navdeep Singh and his associate Dilkhush Kumari allegedly forged revenue records to fraudulently claim compensation of approximately ₹1 crore for land acquired for the 754A Greenfield Express Highway in Adhramaan village of Dharamkot tehsil.
A Punjab Vigilance Bureau inquiry conducted on December 12, 2022, reportedly found irregularities in revenue records, including an allegedly fraudulent mutation entered and sanctioned in Kumari’s name, enabling her to claim compensation.
The Mohali Forensic Science Laboratory subsequently found that signatures attributed to the patwari and naib tehsildar on the mutation documents had been forged, officials said.
Punjab Police filed a chargesheet against Navdeep Singh and two others in 2024. The ED obtained a copy of the chargesheet in July this year.
Arora was not named as an accused in the original police FIR. Separately, in February 2024, the Punjab Lokpal had summoned her following a corruption complaint filed by her former personal assistant, Harsh Aren, against her and her family members.
