ED Raids Assistant Drug Controller in Himachal in Bribery and Money Laundering Case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sunday, June 22, 2025, carried out raids targeting Assistant Drug Controller (ADC) Nishant Sareen, his family members, and associates as part of an ongoing money laundering probe. The investigation is linked to serious allegations involving bribery, extortion, and misuse of official position, allegedly backed by political support, according to official sources.

Nishant Sareen, currently serving as the ADC in Dharamshala, is under scrutiny alongside his father-in-law Ramesh Kumar Gupta and a close associate, Komal Khanna. The ED searched five residential and commercial locations across Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab.

Sources state that the investigation relates to Sareen's alleged misconduct during his tenure as ADC in Baddi, Solan district, and his present posting in Dharamshala. The ED is also probing the suspected generation of illicit funds, along with reports of political patronage and bribe demands involving Sareen.

The case originates from a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Himachal Pradesh Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV&ACB) in August 2019. Sareen was arrested in September that year and later released on bail in October. He was reinstated as ADC in Dharamshala in 2024 despite facing charges.

Sareen and co-accused Komal Khanna were named in the charge sheet filed by the SV&ACB, which accused Sareen of accepting bribes from pharmaceutical firms operating in Baddi, a prominent pharma manufacturing hub in Himachal Pradesh.

No comments have been received yet from Sareen or his legal representatives regarding the ED’s latest action.

The Drug Controller’s Office functions under the Directorate of Health Safety and Regulation, Government of Himachal Pradesh.