Raghav Magunta, the son of Ongole MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, a member of the YSR Congress Party, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate as part of a money laundering probe linked to the Delhi liquor scam, investigators said on Saturday.
According to the reports, Raghav Magunta was arrested on Friday night under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He is expected to appear before a regional court where the federal investigation agency will seek his custody. The ED has made nine arrests in this case, with three of them coming this week.
The agency arrested Rajesh Joshi, the director of an advertising firm named Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd, and Gautam Malhotra, the son of former SAD MLA from Punjab, Deep Malhotra, earlier this week.
The father and son duo were allegedly members of the “South Group,” a cartel of alcohol dealers, distributors, and producers that was established as part of the now-scrapped Delhi excise regime.
Last year, ED searched locations linked to the Lok Sabha MP Magunta in this case. The ED has so far filed two charge sheets against the defendants in this case. The money laundering investigation began with a CBI FIR.
Manish Sisodia, the deputy chief minister of Delhi, and several government excise officers are also under the scanner in the Delhi liquor scam.