ED arrests Himachal assistant drug controller in DA case

New Delhi, Oct 10 (PTI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday said it has arrested an assistant drug controller (ADC) of the Himachal Pradesh government under the anti-money laundering law in an alleged corruption and possession of disproportionate assets (DA) case registered against him.

Nishant Sareen, posted with the Directorate of Health and Safety Regulation, was taken into custody on October 9. A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Shimla sent him to ED custody till October 14, the agency said in a statement.

Probe found that Sareen, while serving as a drug inspector and subsequently as an ADC in the Himachal Pradesh government, "misused" his official position for obtaining personal favours/bribes from various individuals linked to pharmaceutical companies located within his jurisdiction, the ED alleged.

The officer "generated illicit" proceeds derived from the commission of scheduled offences, including cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy, and utilised them for leading a luxurious life and for acquiring assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, it said.

The money laundering case stems from two FIRs of the HP Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau and a Haryana Police complaint against the officer and his alleged associate Komal Khanna. PTI NES KSS KSS