Goa, April 16 -- The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday carried out early morning searches at business establishments linked to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Ashok Mittal and his son in Punjab, officials confirmed. The inquiry is part of an ongoing probe under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

The development comes shortly after the Aam Aadmi Party appointed Mittal as its new Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader earlier this month, replacing Raghav Chadha.

Mittal, 61, is a businessman and educationist who heads the Lovely Group, which includes a university of the same name.

According to officials, the searches are being conducted across multiple business entities associated with Mittal in Jalandhar and Phagwara, along with several other location...