Ex-Punjab Minister Arora Named Kingpin in Rs 103 Crore iPhone Export Fraud
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against former Punjab cabinet minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjeev Arora, accusing him of being the mastermind behind a fake iPhone export scam involving Rs 103 crore. According to the chargesheet, consignments were falsely shown as exported to Dubai using bogus purchase bills and export documents to launder money.
Arora has been in judicial custody since his arrest by the ED on May 9. A Gurgaon court rejected his bail plea, and an appeal is pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The prosecution complaint, filed before a special court in Gurgaon on July 6, details how approximately Rs 100 crore was allegedly passed off as money received from Dubai for iPhone exports. This amount includes Rs 87 crore in 'export remittance' and Rs 16 crore in Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) and duty drawback refund.
The ED alleged that 'sham export transactions' were structured through fictitious procurement, related overseas buyers, and circular fund movement. The total value of alleged iPhone sales is estimated at over Rs 150 crore, with more than Rs 100 crore worth exported to a Dubai-based company that is an investor in Arora's realty firm, sources said.
The agency has attached assets linked to Arora and his firm, Hampton Sky Realty Ltd, worth over Rs 55 crore. These include bank accounts, fixed deposits, land, commercial premises, and residential apartments in Ludhiana, Gurgaon, and Chandigarh. An ICICI Bank account that received over Rs 100 crore of export proceeds has Arora as a signatory, the chargesheet states.
Arora is named accused number one in the chargesheet. The probe is based on a First Information Report (FIR) registered against him and Hampton Sky Realty Ltd by the Udyog Vihar police in Gurgaon on April 18. Searches have been conducted on premises linked to the former minister and associated entities.
Two Dubai-based firms, Fortbel Telecom FZCO and Dragon Global FZCO, are also under investigation for allegedly receiving the iPhone consignments and making remittances to Arora's firm in India.
A senior ED official said the investigation revealed that the purchase of iPhones was made by 'non-existent, shell, dummy, or financially incapable supplier entities.' These shell entities allegedly generated bogus invoices without actual supply of goods, with many sharing common phone numbers and email IDs, indicating a coordinated operation.
