New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked an Assistant Director of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Pawan Khatri, and a clerk, Nitesh Kohar, for allegedly demanding ₹5 crore from liquor businessman Amandeep Singh Dhall to evade action in the Delhi excise policy scam.
The CBI registered an FIR on August 28, 2023, based on a complaint from the ED. The complaint alleged that Dhall’s father, Birender Pal Singh, had paid ₹5 crore bribe to chartered accountant Praveen Kumar Vats in tranches of ₹50 lakh from December 2022 onwards to help his son in the probe.
Vats allegedly introduced Dhall to Khatri, who promised to help him if he paid the bribe. Khatri and Kohar allegedly received the bribe money in installments.
The CBI conducted searches at six locations in Delhi and Gurugram on August 29, 2023, and recovered ₹2.19 crore in cash. The agency also seized some incriminating documents.
Khatri and Kohar have been arrested and are being produced in court. The other accused, including Vats, Dhall, and his father, are absconding.
The Delhi excise policy scam is a major corruption scandal that came to light in 2022. The scam involved the awarding of liquor licenses to private companies at exorbitant prices. The ED is investigating the scam and has arrested several people, including Dhall.