Financial probe agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out searches at more than 10 premises connected to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s personal secretary Bibhav Kumar and individuals associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday, as part of a money laundering investigation.

The searches extended to locations associated with former Delhi Jal Board (DJB) member Shalabh Kumar and AAP treasurer ND Gupta, who is also a Rajya Sabha member of the party, in relation to alleged irregularities in the tendering process of the Delhi Jal Board.

The probe stems from allegations of irregularities in DJB’s tendering process, as highlighted in FIRs filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government. The CBI case alleges that DJB officials provided “undue advantage” to a firm in awarding it contracts worth Rs 38 crore for the supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of electromagnetic flow meters, despite the firm allegedly not meeting technical eligibility criteria and submitting forged documents.

The ED’s investigation revealed that NKG Infrastructure secured the contract through the submission of fraudulent documents, with the knowledge of the chief engineer.

The raids occurred amidst a statement by Delhi cabinet minister Atishi, who announced an “explosive expose” on the ED, suggesting a confrontation between the AAP and the investigative agency. Atishi and her Cabinet colleague, Saurabh Bharadwaj, had hinted at revealing information regarding the ED.

In response to the raids, Atishi accused the ED of attempting to intimidate and silence AAP leaders, vowing that the party will not be deterred. She alleged that the ED’s actions were politically motivated, echoing sentiments expressed by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who condemned the raids as an attempt to stifle opposition voices.