India, May 9 -- Ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections, senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) minister Sanjeev Arora was arrested on Saturday following a raid by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The agency alleges that Arora was involved in fake GST transactions worth over Rs 100 crore and the round-tripping of funds from Dubai to India.

The arrest comes amid strong support from AAP leadership. Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann have publicly stood by Arora.

Kejriwal, holding a press conference at Delhi as the ED operation unfolded, accused government agencies of being "misused" for political purposes, alleging that attempts are being made to target the party to break AAP.

Arora, regarded as one of...