New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday conducted raids at the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj as part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in hospital construction projects in the national capital.
The operations began early morning across 13 locations in the Delhi-NCR region, including Bhardwaj’s residence, following a specific tip-off. The searches are being carried out under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
Officials said the raids are connected to the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) filed in relation to the Delhi Hospital Construction Scam. The case traces back to FIR No. 37/2025, lodged on June 26, 2025, by the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of Delhi Police, naming former Health Ministers of the GNCT of Delhi, private contractors, and certain unidentified government officials.
According to sources, the investigations are based on evidence collected during the probe and allegations in the FIR, which include large-scale corruption, unjustified cost escalations, unauthorized constructions, and misappropriation of funds in Delhi’s health infrastructure projects.
The ED teams have searched Bhardwaj’s residence as well as offices and homes of the private contractors involved, aiming to recover evidence related to the diversion and laundering of public funds.
Officials said the probe focuses on financial transactions and suspected misuse of funds allocated for hospital construction, with allegations that contracts were manipulated, funds misused, and projects delayed, resulting in inflated costs.
Bhardwaj, a senior AAP leader and current MLA, served as Delhi’s Health Minister when the government launched major plans to expand healthcare infrastructure. However, the projects came under scrutiny following complaints of inflated bills, regulatory non-compliance, and possible collusion between contractors and officials.
