New Delhi:
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has carried out extensive search operations on June 22 and 23, at seven locations across Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab in a case of alleged corruption, bribery, and misuse of official position by Nishant Sareen, currently posted as Assistant Drug Controller (ADC) in Dharamshala.
The searches targeted residential and commercial premises, as well as a government office, linked to Nishant Sareen, his relatives, and associates. The ED action is part of a money laundering probe initiated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), based on an FIR registered by the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau, Himachal Pradesh Police. The original FIR, filed under Section 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, pertains to Mr Sareen’s earlier posting as ADC in Baddi, a major pharmaceutical hub.
Mr Sareen was previously arrested and later charge-sheeted along with his associate Komal Khanna. After being released on bail, he was transferred to Dharamshala in September 2024.
In a separate case, Haryana Police had filed an FIR in 2022 against Mr Sareen and others over allegations of forgery of a partnership deed of Zhenia Pharmaceuticals in Panchkula. The complaint also includes charges of threat and intimidation, further pointing to the alleged misuse of Mr Sareen’s official position.
During the ED raids, officials seized key documents such as drug licences, show cause notices, pharmaceutical approvals, property records, and digital evidence, including laptops, pen drives, and mobile phones. Two luxury vehicles worth approximately Rs 32 lakh were seized, along with more than 40 bank accounts, fixed deposits, and three lockers linked to Mr Sareen and his family.
Notably, over 60 unaccounted liquor bottles were recovered from Mr Sareen’s residence at Omaxe Cassia in New Chandigarh.
The ED is also probing fresh complaints of extortion during Sareen’s current posting in Dharamshala, and suspicious financial links between his family and pharmaceutical companies.
Further investigation is underway.
