Excise fraud: CBI Arrests India Ahead News Senior Executive For Rs. 17 Cr Transfer To  AAP Publicity Handler

The CBI has arrested India Ahead News’ commercial head and production controller in connection with its investigation into the alleged Delhi excise scam, officials said Monday.

Arvind Kumar Singh, the news channel’s commercial head and production controller, was arrested for allegedly transferring Rs 17 crore through hawala channels to a company handling the Aam Admi Party’s (AAP) publicity campaign during the Goa elections.

During the investigation, the CBI discovered WhatsApp chats and records of hawala operators that showed Singh was allegedly involved in the hawala transfers of Rs 17 crore between June 2021 and January 2022 to Chariot Media, which was handling the AAP’s outdoor advertisement campaign in Goa, they said.

The Goa Assembly elections were held on February 14, 2022.

It is alleged that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP. The policy was later scrapped.

“It was further alleged that irregularities were committed, including modifications in the excise policy, extending undue favours to the licensees, waiver/reduction in licence fee, the extension of L-1 license without approval, etc.

“It was also alleged that illegal gains on the count of these acts were diverted to concerned public servants by private parties by making false entries in their books of accounts,” a CBI spokesperson had said after the FIR was filed on August 17 last year.

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