Delhi excise policy PMLA case: ED arrests liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru
The agency had named a total of nine private individuals as accused in the FIR including businessmen Vijay Nair, a former CEO of entertainment and event management company Only Much Louder; Manoj Rai, a former employee of Pernod Ricard; Amandeep Dhal, owner of Brindco Spirits; Sameer Mahendru, MD of IndoSpirit, and Hyderabad-based Arun Ramchandra Pillai.
FollowThe Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday morning arrested liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, official sources said.
Mahendru is the managing director of a company called Indospirits. It is reported that he was taken into custody under the criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after he was put through a night-long questioning session.
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On Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia's close aide Vijay Nair, an accused in the Delhi Excise Policy case. Nair, who was abroad for quite some time, was called for questioning at the agency office on Tuesday, they said.
"Nair was arrested for his alleged role in "cartelisation" and "conspiracy" related to alleged irregularities in the allocation of a liquor license in the national capital," sources said.
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The FIR has alleged that Arjun Pandey, a partner of Sisodia, had once collected about Rs 2-4 crore in cash from liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru for Nair, former CEO of Only Much Louder, an entertainment and event management company.
CBI has issued look-out circular notice against eight accused including Manish Sisodia. A total of nine people are named in the FIR, out of which only a look-out circular has not been issued against Manoj Rai, the former Vice President of Pernod Ricard.
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The agency had named a total of nine private individuals as accused in the FIR including businessmen Vijay Nair, a former CEO of entertainment and event management company Only Much Louder; Manoj Rai, a former employee of Pernod Ricard; Amandeep Dhal, owner of Brindco Spirits; Sameer Mahendru, MD of IndoSpirit, and Hyderabad-based Arun Ramchandra Pillai.
The investigative agency had conducted raids at 19 locations in August, including the residence and office of Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia. The CBI had listed 15 names in the Delhi excise policy controversy.Â
