Delhi Liquorgate: ED arrests 2 businessmen from Telangana, Andhra; BJP says 'noose is finally tightening around Sisodia'

New Delhi: Two businessmen from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate for their alleged link to the liquor trade in the money laundering probe being conducted by the agency into the Delhi excise policy case.

Delhi liquorgate: Who are the two businessmen arrested by ED?

The two businessmen arrested by the ED late on Wednesday night are – Sharath Reddy and Vinoy Babu. They have been arrested under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Reddy is the Director of Aurobindo Pharma, while Babu holds key responsibilities a liquor company named Pernod Ricard.

ED officials said that they were “evasive” during the interrogation. They were produced before a special PMLA court in Delhi on Thursday where the agency sought for their further custody.

Earlier during the searches, the ED had recovered a draft of the Delhi excise policy from one of the executives even as it found that investments worth Rs 200 crore in the retail liquor business were made by an entity in violation of the policy directives.

BJP attacks Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia

Hitting out at Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia, BJP leader Amit Malviya said, “Manish Sisodia has suddenly gone silent after his close aide and businessman, Dinesh Arora, decided to turn approver. ED has arrested two more businessmen from Andhra and Telangana for money laundering in the Liquor Excise scam.”

“The noose is finally tightening around Sisodia…,” Malviya said.

ED raids in Delhi excise policy

Several raids have been carried out by the ED so far in the Delhi excise policy case. The first arrest in the case was made by the agency in September and Sameer Mahandru, managing director of the liquor manufacturing company Indospirit, was taking into custody.

Earlier this month, the ED raided the premises of a personal assistant of Manish Sisodia and questioned him at its office in the national capital.

The CBI had earlier filed a case where it named Sisodia as an accused among others in the money laundering case. Premises of the Delhi deputy CM and some other bureaucrats of the government were raided by the CBI.

The liquorgate scam is related to alleged violations of rules and procedural lapses in the implementation of the now-scrapped Excise Policy 2021-22.

With inputs from agencies

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