ED raids 12 premises linked to AAP minister Raaj Kumar Anand ahead of Arvind Kejriwal's questioning

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday raided the residence of Delhi Minister Raaj Kumar Anand in the Civil Lines Area in connection with a money laundering case. Searches are currently underway at 12 premises linked to the minister at different locations including Delhi, India Today reported.

Raaj Kumar Anand is an MLA from Delhi's Patel Nagar area and the Minister of Social Welfare and SC/ST among other portfolios in the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government. The searches by ED are linked to a customs case and Anand is suspected of being involved in a hawala transaction. The investigation against Anand is based on the Prosecution Complaint filed by the Department of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

The complaint alleged false declarations in imports for customs evasion of more than Rs 7 crore and international hawala transactions. The court has taken cognizance of the complaint. The development comes ahead of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's questioning by the central agency later in the day in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.

The agency will record his statement once he deposes before the investigating officer in the case, as per news agency PTI. Meanwhile, Kejriwal has responded to the central agency on the summons issued to him.

Calling the notice "politically motivated", he claimed that it was sent at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) so that he could not participate in electoral campaigning in four states. He also urged the Enforcement Directorate to take the notice back.

Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh are already in jail in the same case. The Supreme Court has denied two bail petitions from Sisodia. The cases in which Sisodia sought bail involve allegations of corruption and money laundering associated with the Delhi liquor policy scandal, with a provisional indication of transactions totaling around Rs 338 crore in the matter.

(With inputs from Munish Chandra Pandey, PTI)

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