Hyderabad: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Aurobindo Pharma Managing Director Sharath Reddy and businessman Vinay Babu in the Delhi liquor scam case on Thursday. With this, fresh tremors are felt in political circles in the Telangana capital city. Two more people from Telugu states were arrested in the Delhi excise policy scam.
While Sharath Chandra Reddy is from Andhra Pradesh, Vinay Babu is a liquor dealer from Telangana. Sarath Reddy and Vinay Babu have a liquor business worth crores of rupees, sources said. Sarath Chandra Reddy is a key director in Aurobindo Pharma Company. The ED officials earlier questioned Sarath Chandra Reddy in Delhi on September 21, 22 and 23.
Sharath Reddy is officiating as a director in over 12 companies of the Aurobindo Group. He is also the director of Trident Life Sciences Company. The CBI has named the Trident Life Sciences in the FIR in the liquor scam. Sarath Chandra Reddy has been named in the FIR in this case. Trident has allegedly paid EMDs (earnest money deposits) to five benami companies for liquor tenders under Delhi Liquor Policy.
There has been speculation that the ED will turn its focus on Telangana accused in liquor scam once again after the arrest of Vijay Nair, who is communications in-charge of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and liquor trader Sameer Mahendru. The Hyderabad-based accused and their benamis involved in the Delhi liquor scam have once again come under the ED scanner now.
It may be recalled that the ED officials have conducted searches thrice on the premises of Ramachandra Pillai and those having links with him in Telangana. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had also conducted searches in Hyderabad with regard to the liquor case once in the past. ED and CBI have intensified the investigation into Delhi's liquor policy irregularities.
