Raman Arora Vigilance Raid: Currency Counting Machine Brought to AAP MLA’s Residence

JALANDHAR:
In a dramatic turn in the corruption investigation against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Raman Arora, officials from the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) brought a currency counting machine to his residence in Jalandhar Central. The raid, which began early Friday morning, is still underway at the time of this report.

Though there has been no official statement on the amount of cash recovered, the arrival of the note counting machine suggests the seizure of a substantial sum of money—too large to be counted manually.

The development comes just days after Arora reportedly fell out of favour with the state government, following the arrest of Assistant Town Planner (ATP) Sanjiv Vashisht, who is believed to be closely linked to the MLA. Vashisht was arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹30,000 and remains in custody as part of an ongoing probe into corruption and abuse of power within the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation.

Sources suggest that Vashisht was acting on behalf of MLA Raman Arora, issuing notices to alleged violators of building norms and later settling matters through bribes. Several complaints had already been filed against Arora, accusing him of seeking illegal gratification for municipal clearances.

What has raised eyebrows is the alleged presence of unaccounted cash at Arora’s residence, even though he was aware of the government’s shifting stance towards him. There had been widespread media speculation that action against the MLA could be imminent, particularly in light of the “revelations” made by the arrested ATP.

Earlier today, AAP leader Sunny Ahuluwalia confirmed the arrest of Raman Arora, while another senior leader, Baltej Pannu, declined to confirm the same, stating only that the raids were still in progress.

Adding to the intrigue, Arora’s official security detail—reportedly comprising 14 personnel—was withdrawn last week. While government sources maintained no security was currently assigned to the MLA, Arora downplayed the move, calling it a government prerogative. Despite the setbacks, he had recently travelled to Chandigarh and New Delhi to meet party leadership and continued to engage in political activities in his constituency.