New Delhi, Dec 3 (UNI) The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Shimla Sub-Zonal Office, on Wednesday said it has attached two immovable properties worth Rs 2.58 crore in connection with an ongoing money laundering investigation.
The case involves charges of bribery, corruption, forgery, and possession of disproportionate assets against Nishant Sareen, Assistant Drug Controller of Himachal Pradesh, and his associate, Komal Khanna.
The attached properties include a residential flat in Sector-20, Panchkula, Haryana, and a residential building in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
The ED initiated its investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SV&ACB) of Himachal Pradesh Police. The FIR was filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act against Nishant Sareen, who was then the Assistant Drug Controller in Baddi. Sareen was subsequently arrested by the SV&ACB, and a chargesheet was filed against him and Khanna in 2021.
A separate FIR was registered against Sareen, Khanna, and others by Haryana Police in 2022 in a case related to alleged extortion, intimidation, and forgery of the partnership deed of Zhenia Pharmaceuticals, Panchkula. The deed was allegedly forged to increase Komal Khanna’s share from 50% to 95%, indicating a misuse of Sareen’s official position.
Subsequently, another FIR (No. 08/2025 dated September 23, 2025) was registered against Sareen by the SV&ACB, Himachal Pradesh, for allegedly amassing disproportionate assets worth approximately ₹1.66 crore while serving as a Drug Inspector and Assistant Drug Controller in the state.
The ED investigation revealed that Sareen, while posted in various locations including Nahan, Baddi, and Solan, misused his official position to obtain illegal gratification from pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors. Furthermore, it was found that several pharmaceutical companies were coerced into conducting business at significant losses with Zhenia Pharmaceuticals and Nia Pharma—both entities controlled by Komal Khanna—under threat and intimidation from Sareen.
The proceeds of crime generated by Sareen and Khanna were then channeled into acquiring personal assets, bank deposits, and immovable properties held in the names of Khanna and Sareen’s family members.
Earlier, in June, the ED conducted search operations in the matter, seizing incriminating records and movable properties such as jewellery and vehicles, and freezing bank balances totaling Rs 3.20 crore.
With the latest attachment, the total value of attached and seized assets in the case now stands at Rs 5.78 crore.
Sareen was arrested by the ED on October 9 and is currently in judicial custody. Further investigation is ongoing.
