Sources said the raids are being conducted on premises associated with vendors, distributors and alleged middlemen involved in the liquor business in the national capital under the now-scrapped liquor policy. (File)The Enforcement Directorate (ED) Friday conducted raids at at least four locations in Punjab, including two premises linked to liquor baron and former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MLA Deep Malhotra, in connection with its money laundering probe into the Delhi government’s excise policy, officials said.
The raids are reportedly being conducted at two places in Faridkot and one each in Ludhiana and Mansa, ED officials in Punjab confirmed. The two premises linked to Malhotra are being raided at Faridkot. Malhotra controls the liquor business in the region. ED officials said that some documents have been seized.
The raids in Punjab are part of the ED raids being held at 35 locations across Delhi, Chandigarh and Hyderabad on Friday. The ED registered a case of money laundering in the matter in the first week of September based on a CBI FIR against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and 14 others.
The raids are being conducted days after the arrest of Sameer Mahendru, managing director of Indospirit, for his alleged role in irregularities associated with the Delhi liquor policy.
Sources said the raids are being conducted on premises associated with vendors, distributors and alleged middlemen involved in the liquor business in the national capital under the now-scrapped liquor policy.
When contacted, the office of Deep Malhotra confirmed that ED raids took place at few of their liquor units. Malhotra’s office said that all the documents were in order.