Who is Amit Arora, the Gurugram-based Buddy Retail director arrested in Delhi excise policy case

Enforcement Directorate has arrested a total of five people in the Delhi Excise policy money laundering case. On September 27, the ED arrested liquor businessman Sameer Mahandru following his questioning.

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday (November 30) arrested Amit Arora, the director of Gurugram-based Buddy Retail and a close associate of Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, in the liquor policy case.

It is reportedly said that the Enforcement Directorate has arrested a total of five people in the Delhi Excise policy money laundering case. On September 27, the ED arrested liquor businessman Sameer Mahandru following his questioning.

The financial probe agency has so far undertaken 169 search operations in the case, filed after taking cognisance of a CBI FIR which was registered on the recommendation of the Delhi Lieutenant Governor.

Earlier, the CBI had alleged that Amit Arora, Dinesh Arora and Arjun Pandey are "close associates" of Sisodia and were "actively involved in managing and diverting the undue pecuniary advantage collected from liquor licensees" for the accused public servants.

Amit Arora, accused number 9 in the liquor case, had featured in the recently filed CBI charge sheet alongside Dinesh Arora and Arjun Pandey.

It is also said that Amit Arora was allegedly in touch with two bureaucrats who were instrumental in drafting the policy. The CBI suspects that the likes of Arora were instrumental in drafting the liquor policy. Hotels and flight tickets were booked via these companies.

Meanwhile, Minister Manish Sisodia, who was named in the CBI FIR, did not figure in the CBI charge sheet which is filed within 60 days of the probe agency taking the investigation.