ED raids 35 locations, Ex-Akali MLA’s Property also probed.

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday carried out raids at about 35 locations, four of which were in Punjab. The raids were carried out due to an investigation into the irregularities that occurred due to the change in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.

The raids were carried out in Chandigarh, Ludhiana, and Faridkot amongst others in Delhi, Punjab, and Hyderabad.

Several properties belonging to Liquor Industrialist and Former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Deep Malhotra, whose liquor business had acquired rights to operate liquors vends for three groups in Delhi, were also examined in the search.

Malhotra and his family have had a sort of monopolistic grip on the liquor business in the region for about four decades.

An ED search team reached Malhotra’s residence, which is located on Cantonment Road, Faridkot, at around 8:00 AM to start their search. No person apart from the probe team was allowed to enter the residence during the raid.

It is reported that Malhotra has stakes in two different firms dealing in Liquor production.

These raids come a day after the ED nabbed Sameer Mahendru, the Managing Director of Indospirit Group, a Liquor Distribution Company based in Delhi.

The ED and the CBI alleged that there were intentional discrepancies made in the process of changing the excise policy to the benefit of Liquor License holders. These discrepancies supposed caused about Rs.144.36 crore to the exchequer.

An FIR was consequently filed on the recommendation of Delhi lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, who has also since terminated 11 excise officers in relation to this matter.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter in an effort to make a case for AAP Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who had also been named in the case. Kejriwal said in Hindi, “More than 500 raids, for 3 months more than 300 CBI/ED officers are working 24 hours – one to who is yet to find any evidence against Manish Sisodia. Cannot find anything. because nothing was done. The Time of so many officers is being wasted on their dirty politics. How will the country progress in such a manner?”

So far, the ED has conducted a whopping 103 raids in this case, which was prompted by a CBI FIR.