New Delhi: Court extended the Enforcement Directorate (ED) remand of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) communications in-charge Vijay Nair and Hyderabad-based businessman Abhishek Boinpally by five days in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case, news agency ANI reported.
Nair and Boinpally were arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Delhi liquor scam. They were in judicial custody in Tihar jail and had filed bail petition in Delhi court. However, the ED placed them under arrest before the bail plea was heard.
Earlier, Delhi's Rouse Avenue court had granted bail to Vijay Nair and Abhishek Boinpally, with a personal bond plus surety of Rs 2 lakh each. However, the two were not released from jail as the Enforcement Directorate had been granted 5-day custody for further interrogation.
It is to be noted that as per CBI, Hyderabad-based Boinpally was allegedly lobbying for certain liquor businessmen based in southern India.
Nair, a former CEO of an event management company, has been associated with AAP, and according to CBI, he had entered into a criminal conspiracy with others, and in furtherance of the conspiracy, related to the excise policy of the Delhi government.
Meanwhile, the ED had earlier arrested Sameer Mahandru, promoter of liquor company Indospirit, general manager of liquor company Pernod Ricard, Benoy Babu, and P Sarath Chandra Reddy, whole-time director and promoter of Aurobindo Pharma.
The agency has also conducted 169 search operations in this case so far. The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR that named Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia as an accused among others.
The CBI had raided the premises of Sisodia and some Delhi government bureaucrats after filing the case.