Enforcement Directorate arrests 2 businessmen in connection with money-laundering probe into Delhi Excise policy

New Delhi, November 14

The ED has arrested two businessmen — Vijay Nair and Abhishek Boinpally — in connection with its ongoing money-laundering probe into the Delhi Excise policy that was scraped following corruption allegations, official sources said on Monday.

The two are currently in jail after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested them in the same case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will seek the custody of the two from a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court, they said.

The Hyderabad-based Boinpally was allegedly lobbying for certain liquor businessmen based in southern India, according to the CBI.

Nair, a former CEO of an event management company, has been associated with the Aam Aadmi Party, according to the CBI, and had entered into a criminal conspiracy with others, and in furtherance of the conspiracy related to the excise policy of the government of the national capital territory of Delhi (GNCTD) of 2021-2022.

The ED earlier arrested Sameer Mahandru, promoter of liquor company Indospirit; general manager of liquor company Pernod Ricard; and Benoy Babu, and P Sarath Chandra Reddy, whole-time director and promoter of Aurobindo Pharma.

The agency has undertaken 169 search operations in this case so far.

The money-laundering case stems from a CBI FIR that had named Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia as an accused among others.

The CBI had raided the premises of Sisodia and some Delhi government bureaucrats after filing the case.