The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia over money laundering charges after questioning him in Tihar Jail in the Delhi excise policy case. The ED action comes a day before Sisodia’s bail hearing in the CBI court hearing the original case. The latest arrest could work against the Aam Aadmi Party MLA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ED had questioned the former Deputy CM for some six hours earlier. The agency had questioned him over the allegedly changed and damaged cell phones that were in his possession, as well as the timeline and decisions he made while serving as Delhi’s excise minister. These charges were made in its charge-sheets filed before the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ED agents, earlier, questioned Sisodia and specifically questioned him about his associations with Vijay Nair and Dinesh Arora (co-accused in the case), the decision to change the wholesaler profit margin from 5 percent to 12 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read Also<\/strong>: India more likely to respond with military force under PM Modi if provoked by Pakistan: US intel report<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The ED also alleged upfront kickbacks paid by the South Group, a group of politicians and businessmen from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, in return for the Delhi government handing over nine out of 32 retail liquor zones to the lobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The AAP strongly disputes the claim that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021\u20132022, which granted licenses to liquor traders, allowed cartelization and favoured certain dealers who had reportedly paid bribes for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Manish Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) last month in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy scam. The ED has also booked a case against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Air India cabin crew caught smuggling 1.5 kg gold at Kochi airport, arrested<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n