ED searches 40 locations across India over Delhi liquor policy scam

Twelve days after the first round of searches, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted fresh raids at around 40 locations across the country in connection with the money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the controversial Delhi Excise Policy that was scrapped.

The fresh action immediately attracted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's ire who said the CBI and the ED were "unnecessarily troubling everyone".

The ED conducted searches at premises linked to liquor businessmen, distributors and supply chain networks in Nellore and some other cities in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi and its suburbs. On September 6 too, searches were conducted at around 40 locations.

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The ED case was registered on the basis of a CBI FIR filed on August 17 in which Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was named among others. The CBI had conducted raids in the case on August 19 at Sisodia's residence, former Delhi excise commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna's premises, and 19 other locations across seven states and Union Territories.

Sisodia, 12 other people and two companies are facing charges of committing "irregularities" in the formulation of excise policy and money changing hands for financially benefiting private liquor businesses.

The excise policy came under the CBI and ED scanners after Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a probe following a report by the Chief Secretary.

Responding to the latest action, Kejriwal alleged that the L-G, the CBI and the BJP are giving varying amounts of money involved in the alleged scam but he doesn't understand what it is really about.

"One of their (BJP) leaders says that it is a scam of Rs 8,000 crore, the L-G says it is a scam of Rs 144 crore and the CBI FIR says there is a scam of Rs 1 crore. I don't understand what the liquor scam is...The country cannot progress like this. They are unnecessarily troubling everyone," Kejriwal said.