HYDERABAD/NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) secured custodial remand of Boinpally Abhishek Rao, Director of Robin Distillery Pvt Ltd and Anoos Health and Wellness Private Limited, after arresting him on Sunday night.
The businessman will be quizzed in connection with the alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy.
According to CBI sources, Abhishek allegedly lobbied for certain liquor businessmen of southern States, who benefited due to the alleged modification effected in the excise policy at the implementation stage.
A special court remanded Abhishek to a three-day CBI custody for interrogation after the agency submitted that his responses were evasive and incoherent during questioning on Sunday, following which he was arrested. The agency sought to question him further in custody with respect to certain facts and evidence that have emerged during the investigation so far.
Abhishek is said to be an associate of Arun Ramachandran Pillai, one of the 15 accused named in the FIR. In the FIR, the CBI alleged that the excise policy was influenced and modifications were effected to benefit the licence holders.
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Officials from the investigation agency said that Vennamaneni Srinivas Rao who is also under CBI and ED radar, floated money from four of his bank accounts belonging to four Hyderabad-based companies to companies in Delhi which are known to Abhishek. Around Rs 6 crore were transferred by Abhishek to Pillai and three other companies for the favour.
The CBI officials reportedly retrieved information from Abhishek’s WhatsApp and Signal conversations.
They collected company names and transaction values in excise tenders which were meant to favour Abhishek and his associates.
During their searches at Abhishek Rao and Arun Pillai’s residences in Hyderabad, CBI teams seized agreement copies which threw up the profiles of participating companies. Based on the investigation, the CBI Delhi team served notices to Abhishek to appear for questioning on Friday.
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Abhishek is the second person to be arrested in the case after Vijay Nair, the former CEO of Only Much Louder (OML), an event management company. Nair, who is said to be associated with the Aam Aadmi Party, was arrested by CBI earlier in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy case.
Along with Nair, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and 13 others have been named in the FIR. The FIR was lodged after Delhi Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the Delhi Excise Policy, putting Sisodia, in charge of the Excise Department, directly in the line of fire.