New Delhi, May 9 (IANS) Hampton Sky Realty Limited (formerly Ritesh Properties and Industries) on Saturday denied all allegations and asserted full compliance with applicable laws in its mobile-phone export operations.
In a detailed statement, the company said it entered the mobile-phone export business in May 2023, describing it as a government thrust area under the ‘Make in India’ and Production-Linked Incentive schemes, noting strong growth in India’s mobile-phone exports in recent years.
The statement came after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Punjab Industry Minister Sanjeev Arora following raids in connection with a money laundering probe.
The company said that “this factual position alone disposes of any allegation of ’round-tripping’ or ‘bogus exports’. It added that “nothing has been retained off-shore, kept in any concealed account or routed back to any individual or entity.”
“The company is the victim of the alleged supplier-side fraud,” it said.
It stated that it exported 44,471 units of branded handsets and accessories, including Apple iPhones and AirPods (96.7 per cent), Samsung handsets (3.2 per cent) and OnePlus devices (0.06 per cent), all of which it claimed were genuine products of global manufacturers.
According to ED officials, the agency has provisionally attached bank accounts, demat holdings and immovable properties linked to Hampton Sky Realty Limited and associated entities in connection with alleged foreign exchange violations involving bogus exports worth Rs 157.12 crore.
According to the company, each export underwent multiple layers of verification, including customs physical examination at ACC New Delhi, IMEI scanning recorded on ICEGATE, OEM verification by Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics, sanction of duty drawback claims by Customs, UAE Customs endorsement, and receipt confirmation through Bank Realisation Certificates on the DGFT portal.
It further stated that 16,391 IMEIs were independently verified by OEMs as genuine devices activated outside India after export, adding that such verification cannot be manipulated domestically.
The company said all export proceeds were received in full through authorised banking channels and entirely paid to domestic suppliers, with no funds retained offshore or routed back, rejecting allegations of round-tripping.
On GST-related concerns, it said issues relate to a limited number of suppliers and not its own transactions, adding that it had itself lodged an FIR against certain suppliers in May 2025, claiming it acted as a complainant in a supplier-side fraud.
It also stated that there is no loss to the government exchequer, as disputed GST credits have already been deposited and are under appeal before the GST appellate authority.
The company said it is fully cooperating with authorities and expressed confidence that documentary records and statutory verification would establish its compliance before law.
Earlier in the day, the ED arrested Sanjeev Arora — one of the powerful Cabinet ministers in the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government — from his official residence in Sector 2 here.
The action came after the ED carried out extensive search operations on Sanjeev Arora’s residences and offices under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002.
–IANS
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