Shimla, Dec 7 – A sleuth of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) attached immovable assets worth Rs. 9.31 crore in Sirmour district of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday, a press release issued here said.
The assets that were attached provisionally include an industrial plot with a factory and building valued at Rs. 5.31 crore of M/s Kala Amb Distillery and Brewery Pvt. Ltd. at Solan, Himachal Pradesh, and a land measuring 22504 sq mtr. along with a factory and building worth Rs. 4 crores at Holongi Village, Arunachal Pradesh, in the name of Dorjee Phuntso Khrime under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) as proceeds of crime generated by supplying liquor illegally in the state of Bihar.
ED initiated an investigation on the basis of various FIRs and chargesheets under the provisions of the Indian Panel Code, 1860, by the Bihar Police against M/s Sunil Bhardwaj and others for illegal supply of liquor in the state of Bihar.
An ED investigation revealed that Sunil Bhardwaj runs M/s Kala AMB Brewery and Distillery Pvt. Ltd. at Village Bhangla, Distt. Solan, Himachal Pradesh.
Sunil Bhardwaj, in connivance with his accomplice, namely Dorjee Phuntso Khrime s/o Nima Tsering Khrime, a resident of Papum Pare, Itanagar, Arunanchal Pradesh, has incorporated various entities that have been used to get licences for establishing distillery units and also for running liquor shops in the area of Arunachal Pradesh.
The ED investigation further revealed that Sunil Bhardwaj and Dorjee Phuntso Khrime are using a web of their entities, claimed to be involved in the business of liquor, to supply liquor manufactured or bottled by them into the state of Bihar illegally.
Further, it is also revealed that the liquor was dispatched from the factory of Kala Amb Distillery & Brewery Pvt.
Ltd. for Arunachal Pradesh, but the same were diverted to Bihar under the direction of Sunil Bhardwaj and Dorjee Phuntso Khrime.
It is also noticed that they used the web of their associated entities for opening various bank accounts for receiving money from the buyers of the illegal liquor supplied in Bihar and, by doing so, generating proceeds of crime.
Investigation revealed that Rs. 9.31 crore have been deposited in cash in Bihar in the bank accounts of companies or entities of Sunil Bhardwaj and Dorjee Phuntso Khrime, which have been generated by the commission of schedule offences.
Further investigation is in progress.
