GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 3rd Nov. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on the premises of Delhi Cabinet Minister Raaj Kumar Anand ended early Friday after about 23 hours. The minister claims that this action was a deliberate attempt to harass leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The searches were conducted as part of a money laundering investigation against the minister and some individuals associated with him. The raids began at around 7:30 am on Thursday and concluded at around 5 am on Friday.
The minister expressed his frustration with the situation, stating, “The searches lasted for about 23 hours, and this is clearly a part of the conspiracy to harass AAP leaders. We have been facing harassment since morning,” he told reporters after the ED officials left his residence in the Civil Lines area of Delhi.
The investigation against Anand was initiated under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), according to sources.
The probe originated from a charge sheet filed by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), which accused Anand of making false declarations in imports to evade customs duties amounting to over Rs 7 crore. Additionally, the charge sheet alleged involvement in international hawala transactions.
Following the court’s acceptance of the DRI prosecution complaint, the ED filed a PMLA case against Anand and several others.
Anand, aged 57, serves as the Minister for Social Welfare and SC/ST Welfare, among other portfolios, in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government. He is an MLA from Patel Nagar.
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