Ed Raids Chhattisgarh / ED raids former CM Bhupesh Baghel's house, raids at 14 places in Chhattisgarh

Ed Raids Chhattisgarh: In the case of money laundering and liquor scam in Chhattisgarh, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday took a big action and raided several places. The raid also includes the residence of Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel. According to sources, the central agency has simultaneously raided 14 places related to this alleged scam.

Raids at 14 places in Chhattisgarh

In this raid conducted by the ED, search operations were conducted in other places including Durg district. In this action, the hideouts of Bhupesh Baghel's son Chaitanya Baghel and his close associates like Laxmi Narayan Bansal alias Pappu Bansal were also searched. ED investigation has revealed that Chaitanya Baghel is one of the beneficiaries of the illegal money earned from this scam.

Allegation of Rs 2,161 crore scam

According to the preliminary investigation of the ED, this liquor scam is worth about Rs 2,161 crore, in which money was illegally withdrawn through government schemes. Earlier in May 2024, the ED had taken major action and temporarily attached 18 movable properties and 161 immovable properties of the accused involved in this scam, whose total value was estimated at Rs 205.49 crore.

Bhupesh Baghel's counterattack

After this raid, Bhupesh Baghel accused the central government of taking political vendetta. A statement issued from his office said, "The false case going on for seven years was dismissed by the court, but now an attempt is being made to intimidate us by sending ED to our house. If this conspiracy is trying to weaken the Congress in Punjab, then it is a misunderstanding."

ED allegations and syndicate exposed

The ED claims that this liquor scam caused huge loss to the treasury of the Chhattisgarh government, while the liquor syndicate embezzled more than Rs 2,100 crore. Several persons, including state government officials and businessmen, have already been arrested in this case.

Earlier, the ED investigation revealed that the scam was carried out through a syndicate of IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Excise Department MD AP Tripathi and businessman Anwar Dhebar during the tenure of the then Bhupesh government.

How did the scam happen?

The Enforcement Directorate also revealed that Anil Tuteja was the main player in the illegally earned profits from the scam between 2019 and 2023. The money was allegedly earned from bribes taken from distillers and unaccounted sales of country liquor by government liquor shops. However, the Supreme Court on April 8, 2024 dismissed the charges of money laundering against Tuteja and his son Yash, saying there was no concrete evidence of money earned from crime.

Conclusion

The Enforcement Directorate's investigation into the liquor scam in Chhattisgarh is ongoing. Allegations of involvement of big politicians to government officials and businessmen are being made in this case. It will be interesting to see what other names emerge from this investigation in the coming times and if there is any new twist in this case.