Vigilance, ACB conducts raids at HP drug officer’s Tricity residences, four other places

Ambika Sharma
Tribune News Service
Solan, August 23

Vigilance Department and Anti-Corruption Bureau conducted raids at the Chandigarh house of a Himachal assistant drug controller who faces allegations of corruption on Friday.  

Nishant Sarin, the suspect who works at Himachal’s Drug Control Administration in Baddi, faces allegations of having wealth disproportionate to known sources of income. Teams from vigilance department and the ACB are believed to have conducted raids not only at Sarin’s Chandigarh house, but also six other places known to be connected to him—among them two flats in Tricity, one each in Zirakpur and Panchkula; his parents’ home in Bilaspur; and his office at the Baddi’s Drug Control Administration.   

 Anurag Garg, Additional Director General of Police, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, said Sarin was booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act after the department got complaints about him getting “undue favours” such as free air tickets and hotel accommodation from pharmaceutical investors.  

State Drugs Controller Navneet Marwaha confirmed that officials searched Sarin’s Baddi office. That search lasted 3-4 hours. However, raid at his Tricity homes were still ongoing at the time that this report was filed.

Sources claimed investigators have so far found unaccounted cash running in lakhs and a huge stash of Indian Made Foreign Liquor in their searches.  

Sarin’s tenure with the drug control administration has been controversial.  He’s been accused of having tried to pressure an investor into giving false statements against a fellow drug official at the Baddi office.

In their complaint to Himachal’s heath ministry as well as the state drugs controller in April this year, the HP Bulk Drugs Dealers Association claimed Sarin was illegally operating a drug business. The Director of Health and Safety had looked into the allegation and sent its report to the state government.     

He faced bribery allegations some years ago as well, but was let off by a court on technical ground.