The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday (May 18, 2026) arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Deepak Singla in an alleged money laundering case following searches in Delhi and Goa, according to the agency’s officials.
The ED probe is linked to an alleged case of bank loan fraud. “Searches have been conducted at the Delhi and Goa premises of Aam Aadmi Party member and former MLA candidate, Deepak Singla, and other ‘hawala’ operators,” an agency official said.
“Deepak Singla along with his uncle Ashok Kumar Mittal and brother Raman Singla and Harish Singla, allegedly defrauded Oriental Bank of Commerce of more than ₹150 crore. The money was sent to controlled firms in Singapore,” the official alleged.
Meanwhile, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Monday defended Mr. Singla and alleged that he had been arrested for refusing to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“Deepak Singla was not arrested because he did anything wrong. Rather, he was arrested because he was working against the BJP and refused to join the BJP. Deepak is brave and fighting for the country,” Mr. Kejriwal said in a post on social media platform X.
AAP Goa in-charge and the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Atishi said Mr. Singla had been building an organisation in Goa. “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. On Monday, the ED arrested 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,” Ms. Atishi said.
Ms. Atishi said that the entire country saw how the BJP had “used” the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against the Trinamool Congress during the recent West Bengal Assembly election. “People working with the election management agency I-PAC were sent to jail, and just before the elections, all the data of the Trinamool Congress was stolen through the ED. As soon as the elections ended, all those people were released from jail,” Ms. Atishi said.
After West Bengal, the BJP’s next attack began in Punjab, where repeated raids were conducted on AAP leaders. “The leaders who came under pressure and joined the BJP faced no action. But leaders like Sanjeev Arora, who clearly refused to join the BJP, were sent to jail,” Ms. Atishi said.
“After Punjab, Goa has now become the BJP’s next target, and the BJP is doing this because it knows very well that the people in Goa ‘hate’ the BJP government,” she said..
“The BJP is frightened that in the Goa Assembly election to be held in February, the people here are going to throw them out of power. It is out of fear of the growing popularity of the Aam Aadmi Party that the ED is conducting raids today at the residence of AAP Goa co-in-charge Deepak Singla,” Ms. Atishi said.
Published - May 18, 2026 10:13 am IST
corruption & bribery / Aam Aadmi Party / money laundering / police / investigation
Source: The Hindu - India News
