NEW DELHI: In its continuing crackdown on liquor barons who may have benefited from the Delhi government’s now-defunct excise policy and the consequent scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested Indospirit promoter Sameer Mahendru in connection with its investigations into the case in which Delhi Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is also an accused. Mahendru was arrested under provisions of the 2002 Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
This is the second arrest within 24 hours with the CBI nabbing Delhi businessman and AAP functionary Vijay Nair in the Delhi excise policy case. Nair, a former CEO of Only Much Louder (OML), which is an entertainment and event management firm, was remanded to CBI custody for five days on Wednesday.
The ED searched 35 locations across several states in connection with its probe on September 7 when Mahendru’s Jor Bagh residence was also searched. The ED’s case is based on the CBI’s FIR registered in August. As many as 15 people, including Sisodia, excise department officials and liquor vendors and distributors figured as accused in the FIR.
According to the CBI FIR, Mahendru is alleged to be a close associate of Sisodia and that the Delhi chief minister benefited financially from the liquor businessman. It is also alleged that Mahendru was a key figure in some of the irregularities in the excise policy, which was withdrawn after the CBI carried out raids following lodging of a case.
A few Delhi government officials, private liquor licensees and Sisodia also said to have benefitted from the liquor policy. The CBI FIR names a person, Arjun Pandey, who allegedly collected Rs 2-Rs 4 crore from Mahendru on Nair’s behalf.