The ED on Friday launched fresh raids in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, official sources said.
The searches are being carried out at about 35 locations in Delhi, Punjab and some places in Hyderabad, they said.
Some liquor distributors, companies and linked entities are being searched, the sources said.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has conducted more than 103 raids in this case till now and had also arrested Sameer Mahandru, a liquor businessman and managing director of liquor manufacturing company Indospirit last month in the case.
The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR.
The liquor scheme came under the scanner after the Delhi LG recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of Delhi's Excise Policy 2021-22. He had also suspended 11 excise officials in the matter.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal attacked the Centre and termed the raids as "dirty politics".
"More than 500 raids, since 3 months more than 300 CBI/ED officers are working 24 hours – one to find evidence against Manish Sisodia. Can't find anything. because nothing was done," he tweeted in Hindi.
The money laundering case in the policy, which has become the latest flashpoint between the ruling AAP and the BJP.
The BJP alleges huge corruption in the policy that allowed retailers to offer big discounts to attract buyers. The AAP, however, says that its policy was aimed at curbing corruption and accuses the BJP of misusing central agencies for political goals.
Liquor businessman Sameer Mahendru was arrested last week by the probe agency which has conducted several rounds of raids in the case. His arrest came a day after Vijay Nair, AAP's communications chief and a close aide of Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, by the CBI.
The Delhi Excise Policy, implemented from November 17 last year, was scrapped by the Kejriwal government in July this year following a CBI probe recommended by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena into its implementation.
Saxena alleged that the policy was implemented "with the sole aim" of benefiting private liquor barons by causing huge losses to the exchequer.
