Delhi Minister Raaj Kumar Anand’s house raided by ED in money laundering case

A search by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is underway at nine premises linked to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi Minister Raaj Kumar Anand. The searches at the nine locations started early this morning. The raids which are currently being conducted at Raaj Kumar Anand's residence are in connection with a money laundering case.

The premises of the minister in the Civil Lines area and a few other locations are being searched, they said. The ED search teams are escorted by a team of the CRPF.

Anand, 57, is the minister for social welfare and SC/ST welfare among others in the Arvind Kejriwal-led government. He is an MLA from Patel Nagar.

The raids at Raaj Kumar Anand come just hours before Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's questioning at the Enforcement Directorate's Delhi office in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi liquor policy case.

The Central agency has summoned AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal to appear before them today in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

Anticipating protests by AAP members, security has been tightened at the ED office on the Tughlaq Road ahead of Arvind Kejriwal's appearance before the Central agency for questioning on the allegations of money laundering in the excise policy case.

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Multiple layers of barricades have also been put up at the ED office. A large number of police and paramilitary personnel have also been deployed, an official said.

Police personnel have also been deployed on roads leading to the BJP office at DDU Marg in Central Delhi. Barricades have also been erected near the AAP office in the ITO area.

Security has also been upped at Rajghat where Arvind Kejriwal is likely to go before moving on to the ED office.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate are probing the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22 that allegedly favoured certain liquor dealers, an allegation that the AAP has strongly denied.

(With agency inputs)