Excise scam: CBI arrests senior executive of India Ahead News for Rs 17 cr transfer to AAP publicity handler

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

Arvind Kumar Singh, the commercial head and production controller of the news channel, was arrested for alleged transfer of Rs 17 crore to a company handling the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) publicity campaign during the Goa elections through hawala channels, they said.

During the probe, the CBI found WhatsApp chats and records of hawala operators, which showed that Singh was allegedly instrumental in the hawala transfers of Rs 17 crore between June 2021 and January 2022 to Chariot Media which was handling outdoor advertisement campaign for the Goa elections for AAP, they said. Goa Assembly polls 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.