ED attaches Rs 2.58 crore assets in corruption case linked to Himachal Assistant Drug Controller
New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has tightened its grip on a high-profile case linked to bribery, corruption, forgery, and disproportionate assets involving Himachal Pradesh Assistant Drug Controller Nishant Sareen.
The agency has attached two immovable properties, worth Rs 2.58 crore under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The seized assets include a residential flat in Panchkula’s Sector-20 and a residential property in Shimla.
The money-laundering probe first surfaced after the Himachal Pradesh Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau filed an FIR under the Section 11 of Prevention of Corruption Act against Sareen, who was then posted as Assistant Drug Controller in Baddi.
The vigilance agency arrested him and filed a charge sheet in 2021 against him and Khanna.
In 2022, the Haryana Police registered another FIR against the duo and others for alleged extortion, intimidation and forgery of a partnership deed of Zhenia Pharmaceuticals, Panchkula. Investigators found that Khanna’s partnership share was fraudulently increased from 50 per cent to 95 per cent, allegedly using Sareen’s influence.
As per IANS, a third FIR (No. 08/2025), registered in September this year by SV&ACB, accused Sareen of possessing disproportionate assets worth Rs 1.66 crore during his tenure as Drug Inspector/Assistant Drug Controller at various postings across Nahan, Baddi, and Solan.
According to the ED, Sareen used his official position to extract illegal gratification from pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors. Several pharma companies were allegedly coerced under threats into conducting business at heavy losses with Zhenia Pharmaceuticals and Nia Pharma, both controlled by Khanna.
The agency’s probe found that the proceeds of crime were diverted into personal assets, bank deposits, and real-estate holdings in the names of Khanna and members of Sareen’s family.
In June 2025, the ED conducted searches in the case, seizing incriminating documents, jewellery, vehicles, and freezing bank balances amounting to around Rs 3.20 crore. With the latest attachment, the cumulative value of seized/attached assets in the case has risen to Rs 5.78 crore.
Sareen, arrested by the ED on October 9 this year, is currently in judicial custody. Further investigation is underway.
Read also: ED arrests Himachal Assistant Drug Controller in corruption case
