ED arrests bizman Amit Arora in Delhi liquor policy case

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday sent businessman Amit Arora, the director of Gurugram-based Buddy Retail Pvt Limited, to seven-day custodial interrogation in connection with a money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy case.

Special Judge N K Nagpal sent the accused to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody on a plea moved by the agency, which claimed that he needed to be quizzed to unearth the larger conspiracy.

Arora was arrested by the ED on Tuesday night under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He is the sixth person to be arrested by the agency in this case.

The accused was produced before the court and Special Public Prosecutor N K Matta, appearing for the ED, sought his custody for 14 days, saying he was required to be confronted with other co-accused and with evidence collected during the investigation.

The ED told the court that on the basis of the investigation conducted so far, Arora was involved in activity connected to the acquisition, possession and use of the proceeds of crime.

It further claimed that the accused did not cooperate in the investigation and withheld information which was in his exclusive knowledge and extremely relevant to the probe.

The agency added that huge digital and physical records have been seized during the search operations conducted till date which it needed to confront Arora with.

He needs to be interrogated with respect to other associates and entities involved in the crime and regarding paying kickbacks to public servants, the ED said in its application moved through advocate Mohd Faizan Khan.

Sending the accused to seven-day custodial interrogation, the court said, "There are specific allegations made against the accused that he had played a vital role in the above criminal conspiracy and also in commission of alleged offences in pursuance thereof by ensuring cartelization against the spirit of said policy and he had also been involved in payment of kickbacks to ensure the said objective."