CBI puts 8 accused on foreign travel watch list in excise probe

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday issued a look out circular (LOC) against eight accused in connection with the ongoing excise policy scam case that the central agency is investigating. According to a senior CBI official, all the accused on the LOC list are private individuals.

Out of nine private individuals named in the FIR, the CBI has put eight on the LOC list. The accused who have been included in the list are Vijay Nair, former CEO of Only Much Louder, an entertainment and event management company, Amandeep Dhal, owner of Brindco Spirits, Sameer Mahendru, owner of Indospirit, Amit Arora, director of Buddy Retail, Dinesh Arora of Radha Industries, Sunny Marwah of Mahadev Liquors, a proprietorship firm, Arjun Ramchandra Pillai and Arjun Pandey. The CBI, however, did not put the ninth excused, former vice president of Pernod Ricard Manoj Rai, on the list.

In a major development, the CBI shared all the documents and details on financial aspects of the scam with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the ED may soon begin its probe into money laundering allegations. According to sources in the CBI, the agency has recorded statements of five persons. Some of the accused are close associates of Sisodia and some are public servants. The agency may summon more persons after looking into all the documents, bank transactions and electronic gadgets seized after the raids on Friday.  

Earlier in the day, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over reports of LOC against him and called it a “gimmick”. “All the raids conducted by you have failed, the foul play of not even a single penny has been found. Now, you have issued a Look Out Circular that Manish Sisodia is absconding, what is this gimmick, Modi Ji? I am openly roaming in Delhi, tell me where do I need to come?” Sisodia said in his tweet.

Hitting out at the Centre for misusing the CBI against his government, Sisodia also tweeted an old video of PM Modi in which he was, as then Gujarat chief minister, hitting out at the then Central government and the CBI.

However, the CBI clarified that it might be issued soon and that the procedure to do so was underway.

The central agency had on Friday conducted extensive raids and searches in 31 locations in Delhi–NCR and other states, including the residence of Sisodia, in the alleged excise policy violation case. The raids followed the FIR that the CBI registered in November last year against Sisodia, who also handles the Excise Department, and 14 others, including excise officials, liquor company executives, dealers and private persons for criminal conspiracy, falsification of accounts and undue advantage.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal raised questions on the country’s progress and accused the Centre of working against the country at a time when it should be battling unemployment. Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal lashed out at the BJP-led government at the Centre, saying, “Instead of fighting inflation and unemployment, the Centre is fighting with the country at a time when it should make efforts with the state governments when crores of youth are unemployed and the common man is battling with inflation.” Kejriwal further said in his tweet, “How can such a country progress whose leaders simply wake up in the morning and start their game of CBI and ED?”

Kejriwal’s remark came in response to the LOC reportedly issued to his deputy Sisodia after the CBI raids at his residence on August 19.