The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets such as restaurants, properties, vehicles and bank balances worth ₹76.54 crore belonging to the accused in Delhi excise policy scam.

The most costly assets confiscated are residential properties worth ₹35 crore in Delhi’s upmarket Jor Bagh owned by businessman Sameer Mahandru and his wife Geetika Mahandru, a house in Magnolias of Gurugram valued at ₹7.68 crore belonging to Amit Arora, a residential premise worth ₹1.77 crore in Cresent Bay of Parel, Mumbai, owned by Vijay Nair. Other seized assets include three resturants -- “Chica”, “La Roca” and “Unplugged Courtyard” owned by Dinesh Arora and valued at ₹3.18 crore -- land worth ₹2.25 crore in Hyderabad and owned by Arun Pillai; 50 vehicles worth ₹10.23 crore and owned by Indospirit Group; and bank balance, fixed deposists and financial instruments together worth ₹14.39 crore.

The ED said its investigation “revealed that acts of corruption and conspiracy in the formulation and implementation of Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 led to the loss of at least ₹2,873 crore to the government exchequer”. Proceeds of crime generated by the activities relating to the scheduled offence under section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 2018 and criminal conspiracy under 120B of the Indian Penal Code, to the tune of ₹76.54 has been attached, said the ED.

The agency has carried out multiple searches across the country in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad after taking up the case from the CBI to probe money laundering aspect of the alleged attempts to rig Delhi excise policy. The Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia along with excise officials of the city government and private individuals were listed as accused in the CBI FIR and the ED ECIR.

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