CBI issues Look Out Circular against eight accused in excise policy case

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against eight accused – all private persons – in connection with the CBI case against Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and others for alleged irregularities in the excise policy.

A senior CBI official confirmed that there was a total of nine private persons have been named in the FIR. Except for Manoj Rai, ex-vice president of Pernod Ricard, LOC has been issued against all private persons. The accused who have been put on the list of LOC include Vijay Nair, former CEO of Only Much Louder, an entertainment and event management company, Amandeep Dhal, owner of Brindco Spirits, Sameer Mahendru, owner of Indospirit, Amit Arora, director of Buddy Retail Pvt. Limited, Dinesh Arora of Radha Industries, Sunny Marwah of Mahadev Liquors, a proprietorship firm, Arjun Ramchandra Pillai and Arjun Pandey.

Earlier, in the day Manish Sisodia took a jibe over reports of Look Out Circular (LOC) against him and other accused in the excise policy case, but sources in CBI have clarified that it might be issued soon and that the procedure to do so was underway.

CBI sources later clarified that look out circular is “in process, not issued yet”. It was a procedural matter that takes the due process to be followed before issuing it against any person.
According to sources, during searches conducted at the premises of the accused persons on August 19, two accused were not found at their location and they remained untraceable. Although, summoned have been issued to them to join the investigation into the matter.

Earlier in the day after reports of LOC against him, he tweeted an old video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which the PM (as Gujarat chief minister) was hitting out at the then Central government and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

He also tweeted that CBI has found nothing during the search at his house.

In LOC, the concerned agencies inform the Bureau of Immigration (BoI) regarding an individual who might leave the country without informing law enforcement agencies. BoI update the list of LOC to its officers at immigration checkpoints at international airports and seaports.

There are certain categories of LOC like where a person is completely banned to go outside the country and in a certain category he can go but have to take permission and inform the concerned law enforcement agency.