CBI arrests commercial head of news channel in excise scam case: Officials

New Delhi, May 15

The CBI has arrested the commercial head and production controller of a news channel in connection with its probe into the alleged Delhi excise scam, officials said on Monday.

Arvind Kumar Singh was arrested for alleged transfer of Rs 17 crore to a company handling the AAP’s 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 a company handling the outdoor advertisement campaign for the Goa elections for the AAP, they said.

The 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.