The Enforcement Directorate on Monday arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Deepak Singla in connection with an alleged multi-crore money laundering case arising out of a Rs 150 crore scam in the Oriental Bank of Commerce, officials said.
The arrest followed coordinated searches at multiple premises linked to Singla and several hawala operators across Delhi and Goa, they said.
The ED action triggered sharp reactions from AAP which defended Singla, labelling the arrest as "politically motivated".
Senior party leaders including its convenor Arvind Kejriwal slammed the raids, accusing the central government of using federal agencies as a political tool ahead of Goa elections.
Singla, who previously contested as the AAP candidate from Delhi's Vishwas Nagar assembly seat, was taken into custody after the raids led to the alleged recovery of incriminating documents.
It is the second time in two years Singla has faced action by the federal agency.
He was raided by the ED in 2024 too.
According to the officials, the money laundering case stems from a massive bank loan fraud in which Singla, along with his family members, is accused of defrauding the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) of more than Rs 150 crore.
The ED has alleged that the defrauded loan amounts were transferred to various shell companies controlled by the accused in Singapore and then these offshore "proceeds of crime" were subsequently routed back into India via illicit hawala channels.
According to the agency, Singla was allegedly managing funds from Delhi to Goa through illegal banking channels.
Meanwhile, reacting to the raids and subsequent arrest, the AAP said in a statement that the action against Singla was similar to the ED and the CBI crackdowns in West Bengal and Punjab, "revealing that leaders refusing to join the BJP were being selectively targeted".
In a post on X, Kejriwal wrote, "Deepak Singla has not been arrested because he did anything wrong. He has been arrested because he was working against the BJP and refused to join the BJP. Deepak Singla is brave and is fighting for the country.”
Referring to Punjab minister Sanjeev Arora arrested by the ED recently, he said, "Sanjeev Arora is very brave and patriotic. The whole of Punjab is proud of him."
The Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly, Atishi, also slammed the ED action against Singla.
"Today in our country, NEET exams are being leaked, the prices of petrol, diesel, and CNG are rising every day, and the rupee continues to weaken against the dollar. But PM Modi has only one job, filing false cases against opposition leaders and getting them arrested," she alleged.
"On Monday, the ED arrested Aam Aadmi Party leader Deepak Singla because he was building an organisation in Goa to fight against the BJP. I want to tell PM Modi that no matter how many leaders of our party you arrest, we will continue working in the interest of the country," the AAP's Goa in-charge said.
She claimed that besides the AAP leaders, raids were conducted at several 'karyakartas' (workers) with a sole purpose "to steal their election data.
Exactly the same way the ED acted against the TMC in Bengal.
All the data was stolen and handed over to the BJP.
The same game is now being repeated in Goa".
Senior AAP leader and Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia said on 'X,' "By using institutions like the ED, CBI, and Election Commission as their personal goons, Modi Ji may be able to stop opposition leaders from winning elections. But he cannot handle the country’s economy or the falling value and dignity of the rupee."