Hyderabad: As the CBI officials raided 30 places around the country in connection with the Delhi excise policy ‘scam’, a city-based businessman – Arun Ramachandra Pillai – was also raided in Eden Gardens, a gated community in Kokapet on Friday.
Pillai is the director of Hyderabad-based Robin Distilleries Pvt Ltd and according to CBI sources, the company has links with Sameer Mahendru of Indo Spirit Pvt Ltd based in Delhi.
Sources claim that Pillai was the middleman and was the ‘bribe broker’ between Mahendru and Vijay Nair, who owns an event management company in Delhi called ‘Only Touch Louder’.
According to a CBI source who spoke to The New Indian Express, Pillai’s residences in Hyderabad and Bengaluru were raided.
“Pillai would hand over the money given by Mahendru to Vijay Nair and the latter would then use it to pay bribes to Delhi government employees,” the source said.
The CBI source confirmed that apart from Pillai, the central investigation agency is also keeping an eye on Gandra Premsagar, an associate of Arun Pillai who owns a Hyderabad-based infrastructure company.
On July 17, a case was registered against Pillai and 13 others in framing and violating the Excise Policy 2021-2022 under the Delhi Excise Act of 2009 of the GNCTD (Government of NCT of Delhi) Act, 1991 and the GNCTD Transaction of Business Rule of 1992 and the Delhi Excise Rules 2010.
Delhi’s excise policy scam
Praveen Kumar Rai, director of Ministry of Home Affairs, directed the CBI to probe into the irregularities in the implementation of the excise policy of the Delhi government for the year 2021-22.
During the investigations, the CBI found Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, Arva Gopi Krishna who was a former excise commissioner, former excise deputy commissioner Anand Tiwari and assistant commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar taking important decisions without the approval of the competent authority.
According to CBI, the men gave undue favors to the liquor license tenders.
The CBI registered an FIR where it named former CEO of Only Much Louder Vijay Nair, a former employee of Pernod Ricard Manoj Rai, owner of Brindco Spirits Amandeep Dhal, and owner of Indo Spirits Sameer Mahendru involved in money laundering.
The CBI mentioned in its investigations that L-1 license holders issued credit notes to retail vendors and then diverted that money in order to benefit public servants.
Arun Ramachandra Pillai of Hyderabad would collect the money from Indo Spirits Sameer Mahendru who then would forward it to public servants via Vijay Nair.
