The Enforcement Directorate (ED) executed searches on Thursday at the residence of Nitin Bajaj, an IT professional, located near Kharar in Mohali, Punjab. Sources suggest that Bajaj has connections with a close aide of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
The operation took place at Flat No. 906 in the Western Towers, Sector 127, Chajju Majra. During the course of the search, two bags reportedly filled with cash were thrown from the building, causing a commotion in the vicinity.
Local residents, out for their morning walks, discovered scattered currency notes around the complex and alerted the authorities. Subsequently, ED personnel retrieved the bags and continued their search for several hours.
In addition to Kharar, the ED also conducted searches in Chandigarh’s Sector 16 and Patiala as part of the same investigative effort. Raids were also carried out at the premises of Bir Devinder Singh in Mohali, who is believed to have ties with an AAP official.
While officials have remained discreet about the specifics of the investigation, sources indicate that the searches are related to suspected financial misconduct.
A spokesperson from the Punjab Government commented, “The ED, a central agency, raided the residence of an IT professional today at Western Towers Society in Kharar, Mohali, Punjab. Upon seeing the ED team approach, someone discarded a bag full of cash from the ninth floor, which was picked up by a driver waiting below. The ED team noticed this incident, pursued, and apprehended the driver, recovering approximately Rs 2.1 million in cash. The investigation is ongoing, and officials have declined to provide further comments.”
The spokesperson also refuted suggestions that Bajaj was closely associated with the Chief Minister’s office, stating, “Many individuals interact with leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party. Photographs together do not imply a close relationship. It is misleading to label him as anyone’s aide.”
Partap Singh Bajwa, the Leader of the Opposition, criticized the Punjab Government regarding the ED’s actions. On the social media platform X, he remarked, “A little bird suggested that a central agency is conducting raids on associates of the Punjab CM in Kharar. Whether this will lead to genuine justice or merely serve as a political ‘washing machine’ to erase all stains remains to be seen.”
This latest action by the ED is part of an ongoing series of raids involving leaders and individuals associated with the ruling AAP in Punjab.
In the previous month, the ED had conducted searches at locations linked to Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora in Ludhiana, Chandigarh, and other sites under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). Allegations of financial irregularities, including possible misuse of industrial land and money laundering tied to real estate dealings, have been made against Arora and his business associates.
Shortly before that, the agency also raided properties linked to Ashok Mittal, an AAP Rajya Sabha member who later switched allegiance to the BJP and is the founder of Lovely Professional University. Investigations were carried out at various educational institutions and properties across Punjab and Haryana as part of a FEMA inquiry.
Leaders from the AAP have characterized these raids as politically motivated, accusing the central government of using investigative agencies to target opposition figures in advance of the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections.
