The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested Arvind Kumar Singh, production controller and commercial head of India Ahead News channel, in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, said an agency official on Monday.
The agency has alleged that Mr. Singh was instrumental in the routing of ₹17 crore through the “hawala” channel. He was allegedly linked to the ‘South Group’ which was extended favours by modifying the excise policy.
Last month, the agency had filed a supplementary chargesheet against former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, businessman Amandeep Singh Dhall, chartered accountant Butchibabu Gorantla and one Arjun Pandey, in the same case that was registered on August 17, 2022.
It was alleged that the then Aam Aadmi Party communication and media in-charge Vijay Nair, on behalf of the party leaders, had received ₹100 crore as “kickbacks” in advance from the “South Group” whose prominent entities were YSRCP MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Magunta, Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLC K. Kavitha and Aurobindo Pharma director P. Sarath Chandra Reddy.
Through their “proxies”, the group partners were allocated 65% stakes in the co-accused businessman Sameer Mahandru’s Indo Spirits for recovery of the kickback amount.
ED probe
The Enforcement Directorate, which is conducting a money laundering probe based on the CBI case, has alleged that a part of the funds was diverted via “hawala” channels for the AAP’s poll campaign in the 2022 Goa Assembly election. Cash payments to the tune of ₹70 lakh were made to the volunteers who were part of the survey teams.
The now-scrapped excise policy had extended an extraordinarily 12% profit margin for wholesalers and almost 185% profit margin for the retailers.
