The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday took note of the BJP’s purported sting video linked to the alleged liquor policy scam, sources told India Today. This comes a day after Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, an accused in the case, challenged the BJP to submit the sting to the CBI.
On Thursday, the BJP showed the sting video at a press conference. In the video, Amit Arora, one of the key accused in the liquor scam case, is claiming that the AAP government in Delhi deliberately kept smaller players out of its “tailor-made” excise policy to help a few persons monopolise the market. The policy now stands withdrawn.
Manish Sisodia challenged the video’s legitimacy and said, “The CBI should probe this sting and if it is found true, then they should arrest me within four days. If you don’t arrest me by Monday, then accept that this sting is fake.”
The seven minute-long video of Amit Arora is now being examined by the CBI to find out new facts about the liquor policy scam.
Earlier, the CBI questioned Amit Arora and conducted a search at his company, Buddy Retail Pvt Ltd. As per sources, Amit Arora is allegedly a close associate of Manish Sisodia.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also conducting searches at 40 locations across multiple cities in connection with the case. Searches are being carried out in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Chennai.
WHAT IS THE DELHI LIQUOR POLICY SCAM?
The CBI’s FIR against Manish Sisodia in the case states that he and other public servants accused in the case took decisions pertaining to the excise policy 2021-22 without the approval of competent authority with “an intention to extend undue favours to the licensees post tender”.
According to the FIR, at least two payments in crores were allegedly made to “close associates” of Sisodia by Sameer Mahendru, the owner of Indospirit, one of the liquor traders involved in irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy.
