ED arrests Punjab businessman Gautam Malhotra in Delhi excise policy case

New Delhi, February 8: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Punjab-based businessman Gautam Malhotra, son of former Shiromani Akali Dal MLA Deep Malhotra in connection with its ongoing probe into Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 money laundering case. 

Gautam was arrested on money laundering charges.  The ED sleuths arrested the businessman following his questioning in the case.

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The businessman is accused of cartelisation in the Delhi Excise policy case.

This is the second arrest in the case in the last two days. On Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation also arrested a Hyderabad-based chartered accountant, understood to be the auditor of BRS MLC K Kavitha.

The agency is expected to produce Gautam in a special court later in the day and seek his custody to question him in the Delhi Excise Policy case.   

As per sources, Gautam is an associate of Amit Arora, Director of Buddy Retail Pvt Ltd, who was arrested by the ED in November last year in the alleged Delhi Excise Policy scam.

Other accused named in the case are Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, the then Excise Commissioner Arva Gopi Krishna, Deputy Commissioner Anand Tiwari and Assistant Commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar.

As per the sources, 200 search operations were conducted in the case after taking cognisance of a CBI case which was registered on the recommendation of the Delhi lieutenant governor.

A total of five people have been arrested by the ED in this case till now, excluding Arora. Mahandru was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on September 27 following his questioning.

The CBI too filed its first charge sheet in the case early this week.

An alleged, the Excise Department had decided to refund the Earnest Money Deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules. Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered licence fees was allowed from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to Covid-19.

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This allegedly caused a loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer, which has been instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.