Dharamshala, June 26: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has seized two vehicles worth nearly ₹32 lakh, frozen over 40 bank accounts and fixed deposits, and locked three bank lockers tied to Dharamsala Assistant Drug Controller (ADC) Nishant Sareen and his family members, officials said.
Raids carried out on June 22 and 23 across seven locations in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab—spanning residential buildings, commercial establishments and government offices—also uncovered over 60 unaccounted liquor bottles at Sareen’s residence in Omaxe Cassia, New Chandigarh.
The searches were part of an ongoing investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), linked to a corruption case in which Sareen allegedly misused his position while serving as ADC in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh.
“This investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV&ACB) of Himachal Pradesh Police,” a senior ED official said. The FIR, registered under Section 11 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, had initially led to Sareen’s arrest alongside his associate Komal Khanna. The two were later charge-sheeted.
After being released on bail, Sareen was reinstated and posted to Dharamsala as ADC in September 2024. However, allegations of wrongdoing continued to follow him.
In a separate case from 2022, Haryana Police booked Sareen and Khanna in connection with the alleged forgery of a partnership deed involving Zhenia Pharmaceuticals, Panchkula. Investigators say Sareen used his official influence to alter Khanna’s share in the firm from 50% to 95%, while allegedly resorting to threats and intimidation.
Sources familiar with the ED’s operation said several incriminating materials were recovered during the raids, including drug licenses, show-cause notices, official clearances granted to pharmaceutical companies, property-related records, and digital storage devices such as mobile phones, laptops and pen drives.
Investigators are also examining complaints of extortion allegedly committed by Sareen in his current post in Dharamsala, as well as suspicious financial transactions involving his family members and multiple pharmaceutical firms.
“Multiple leads indicate a pattern of abuse of authority and possible collusion with private drug manufacturers,” an official close to the probe noted.
The ED’s probe is ongoing, and further action is expected based on forensic analysis of the digital and financial evidence gathered during the raids.
