Delhi minister Raaj Kumar Anand on Friday morning said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raids on his properties lasted for around 23 hours.
The ED landed at properties of Anand on Thursday morning along with a team of accompanying Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel to conduct raids in a money laundering case. A dozen premises, including Anand's residence in Civil Lines area, were raided.
Anand also said that the raids were part of the same "conspiracy" under which other leaders of the party have also been raided. He holds the SC/ST, Social Welfare, Cooperative, and Labour portfolios in Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Delhi Cabinet.
Anand is the latest leader of the Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to come under the scanner of the central investigative agencies. Top leaders and former ministers Manish Sisodia and Satyender Jain are already in prison and the ED has also sent summons to Delhi CM and AAP convenor Kejriwal.
Sources told PTI that the raids against Anand were related to a case of false declarations in imports for customs evasion.
A number of Opposition leaders have come under the scanner of central agencies like the ED and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The Opposition has termed these investigations as politically-motivated and has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government of misusing the central agencies.
The case against Anand stems from a charge sheet filed by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), according to PTI.
"The investigation stems from a charge sheet filed by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on charges of false declarations in imports for customs evasion of more than Rs 7 crore apart from international hawala transactions, the sources said. A local court recently took cognisance of the DRI prosecution complaint after which the ED filed a PMLA case against Anand and some others, they said," reported PTI.
