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In its probe into the money laundering probe into the now-cancelled Delhi Excuse Police 2021-22 case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) found that 34 suspects, including the accused, had exchanged 140 mobile phones worth Rs 1.2 crore. Destroy digital evidence.
The ED disclosed this information in the remand papers of the two accused, Sarath C Reddy and Vinay Babu, who were arrested on Thursday. The court sent the two accused to ED custody for seven days.
It also said that the persons include all the main accused, liquor dealers, high-ranking government officials, the Delhi Excise Minister and other suspects.
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“During the relevant period a large number of mobile phones have been altered by persons involved or suspected with the intent to destroy digital evidence”.
The ED said all “34 key persons involved or suspected to be involved in the excise scam” had changed a total of 140 phones worth ₹1.2 crore for the purpose of destroying digital evidence during the relevant period.
“The timing of phone changes indicates that most of the changes were made only after the scam came to light,” the ED alleged.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case on August 17 to probe the alleged irregularities in the new excise policy.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who is also the Excise Minister, has been named as accused number one in the case. The CBI also raided Sisodia’s premises on August 19, along with 30 other locations across the country in connection with the case.
The CBI filed the FIR based on a complaint received from Delhi Lt. Governor Binai Kumar Saxena, who had exposed irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy.
Apart from Sisodia, the CBI named 14 others, including three government employees – then Excise Commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna; Then Deputy Excise Commissioner Anand Tiwari and Assistant Commissioner (Excise) Pankaj Bhatnagar.
Some individuals, including AAP communications in-charge and former CEO of Mumbai-based Only Much Louder Vijay Nair; Sameer Mahendru, MD of Indospirits; Manoj Rai, a former employee of Lucknow-based Pernod Ricard; Amit Arora, Director, Gurgaon-based Buddy Retail Private Limited; Dinesh Arora, Delhi-based Mahadev Liquors; Sunny Marwah, authorized signatory of Mahadev Liquors; The CBI FIR also names Arun Ramachandra Pillai of Bengaluru in Karnataka and Arjun Pandey of Gurgaon.
The CBI had on September 28 arrested two people, including Nair and Hyderabad-based businessman Abhishek Banipali, in the case.
The ED also told the court that the Delhi government or the Excise Department, under the influence of the accused persons, allowed the formation as well as the operation of the cartel despite sufficient information being available on public platforms to indicate cartelisation by most of the licensees. .
“This was done in return for bribes and kickbacks to Delhi Excise officials and members of the Delhi government. The new excise policy L.1 has increased the profit margins for wholesalers to 12 per cent,” it said.
“During the course of investigation, various individuals involved in the Delhi Excise scam revealed that an advance bribe of Rs 100 crore was paid by the Delhi government to grant undue favors to selected business groups,” it alleged.
The ED also said that it was also found that kickbacks and bribes were demanded and taken by Delhi excise officials for opening retail stores in Delhi.
The ED had earlier arrested Indospirits MD Sameer Mahendru on September 28.
ED has searched more than 169 places in connection with the case.
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