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Sanjeev Arora arrest: Daily-wager's name used for bogus deals, ED tells court
Enforcement Directorate told a special PMLA court that Hampton Sky Realty Limited used a firm registered in a daily-wage labourer's name to route ₹27.73 crore via 41 RTGS transactions between Aug 2023 and Jan 2024. Sanjeev Arora was arrested on May 9 at his Chandigarh residence and remanded to ED custody for a week on May 10. The ED alleged shell entities, fake invoices, and mostly fake UAE exports, with involvement of Kamal Ahmad and Azhar Haider alias Monty, plus FEMA-linked activity involving Kartik Verma.
Why It Matters
The case highlights how money laundering can involve political figures and shell firms, and underscores enforcement actions against illicit invoicing and cross-border fake exports.
Timeline
8 Events
Verma-linked numbers and GST notices emphasized
May 12, 2026
The investigation noted that Verma’s number has been used to generate fake invoices; Verma had lodged a complaint with Haryana Police about GST notices tied to firms registered with his number.
Falsified supplier network and bogus invoices
May 12, 2026
The ED alleged that many supplier entities were non-existent, shell/dummy firms, or had no financial capacity, issuing bogus invoices without actual supply of goods; several were non-filers of IT returns or were deregistered under GST shortly after operation.
Aadhaar/PAN details used for GST registrations; Monty’s involvement
May 12, 2026
Azhar Haider alias 'Monty' allegedly used Kamal Ahmad’s Aadhaar and PAN details to obtain GST registrations, and manage bank accounts and payments. Ahmad claimed no knowledge of the firm.
HSRL mobile phone sales and UAE exports under ED scrutiny
May 12, 2026
HSRL showed mobile phone sales valued at about ₹157.12 crore from May 12, 2023, to October 27, 2023, to various local and overseas entities. Exports worth about ₹102.50 crore were made to UAE-based Fortbel Telecom FZCO and Dragon Global FZCO, which were described by the ED as mostly fake.
ED submits details of ₹27.73 crore purchase and shell-firm conduit
May 12, 2026
The ED told the court that M/S SK Enterprises was registered in the name of Kamal Ahmad, a daily-wage labourer, and used as a conduit to route funds through 41 RTGS transactions across multiple bank accounts, totaling ₹27.73 crore, between August 2023 and January 2024, with deliberate layering to conceal the money trail. Ahmad claimed no knowledge of the firm; Azhar Haider alias 'Monty' allegedly obtained Ahmad’s Aadhaar and PAN details, managed GST registration, bank accounts, and used the entity for accommodation entries in return for a commission.
Custody remand ordered by special PMLA court
May 10, 2026
The special PMLA court in Gurugram remanded Arora in ED custody for a week. The court noted the seriousness of the ED’s submissions and allowed custodial interrogation to decode the money trail, the roles of the accused, and proceeds of crime.
Arrest of Sanjeev Arora at Chandigarh residence
May 9, 2026
Sanjeev Arora, a minister and founder of Hampton Sky Realty Limited (HSRL), was arrested at his official residence in Chandigarh on May 9, 2026, in a money-laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
FEMA search and seizure operation involving Kartik Verma
April 17, 2026
During a FEMA search and seizure operation conducted by the ED on April 17, Kartik Verma’s mobile number was found to be linked to activities generating fake invoices. Verma later filed a complaint with Haryana Police claiming GST notices linked to firms registered with his number, and the ED noted the number had been misused to generate fake invoices.