India, April 17 -- The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday carried out searches at the residences and offices of Punjab cabinet minister Sanjeev Arora, his son Kavya Arora, and his business partners across 13 locations in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh. The operation, conducted under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), involves allegations of money laundering, round-tripping of funds from the UAE, and links to illegal betting syndicates.

Chief minister Bhagwant Mann termed the raids an "attack on democracy," accusing the BJP-led central government of using federal agencies to intimidate the Aam Aadmi Party. Addressing a hurriedly convened press conference, Mann said that non-BJP governments are being increasingly targeted. "G...