Delhi liquor scam: ED raids 6 locations in Hyderabad linked to businessman Arun Pillai, his associates

The raids were being conducted at the offices of Robin Distilleries Pvt Ltd and Robin Distribution LLP, companies linked to Pillai. Raids were also being conducted at premises linked to three of his associates, ED sources told South First.

The Hyderabad raids are part of a six-state, 30-location swoop by ED sleuths in Delhi, Telangana, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

Andhra-Telangana connection 

Apart from Pillai, politicians from both the Telugu states, a big corporate group, and those with interests in the media are said to be among the long list of entities who apparently influenced Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party government into tweaking its liquor policy and, thereby, allegedly causing a loss to the state exchequer.

In fact, BJP MP Parvesh Varma and former MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa from Delhi had even attempted to drag the name of Telangana Chief Minister KCR’s daughter K Kavitha into the scam.

Kavitha, however, strongly refuted the allegations and approached the courts against the BJP leaders.

A City Civil Court in Hyderabad on 24 August issued interim orders restraining Varma and Sirsa from making any further comments — in public meetings or on television or social media — against TRS MLC Kavitha in the Delhi liquor scam case.