Chhattisgarh liquor 'scam': ED names 59 more, number of accused rises to 81

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a final prosecution complaint in the alleged liquor scam case in Chhattisgarh, naming 59 people, taking the total number of accused in the money laundering case to 81.

It was filed before the PMLA court on Friday (December 26), complying with the Supreme Court's directions, the ED's counsel, Saurabh Kumar Pande, told the news agency PTI.

Earlier, 22 persons were named as accused, and several of them were arrested. After completing the investigation, prosecution complaints were filed against them in the past, he said.

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The final prosecution complaint has now been filed against 59 more persons against whom investigation had been completed, Pande added.

The 59 include Soumya Chaurasia, the then Deputy Secretary at the Chief Minister's Office, former IAS officer Niranjan Das, liquor licence holders, distributors and excise department officials, he noted.

315-page summary

The prosecution's complaint summary was compiled into 315 pages, with documents running into around 29,800 pages. The material included direct evidence obtained through banking channels, documents showing attempts at money laundering, backdoor and purpose-driven entries, as well as digital evidence such as communication records, Pande noted.

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According to him, the then Commissioner of the State Excise Department, Niranjan Das, allegedly facilitated the smooth operation of the liquor scam and ensured no punitive action was taken anywhere, allowing it to continue unhindered. The total proceeds of crime involved in the case are estimated to be around Rs 3,000 crore, he added.

'Massive loss' to state exchequer

According to the probe agency, the alleged liquor scam in the state was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022, when the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government was in power in the state. The alleged scam resulted in a "massive loss" to the state exchequer, it said.

The ED arrested Congress MLA and former Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma in January this year and Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in July in connection with the case.

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The ED further claimed Lakhma was the main recipient of proceeds of crime, while Chaitanya Baghel played a key role in handling nearly Rs 1,000 crore generated by the syndicate.

High-profile case

Businessman Anwar Dhebar (brother of Congress leader and former Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar), former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer Arunpati Tripathi, and others were previously arrested in the case.

The state's Economic Offence Wing/ Anti-Corruption Bureau (EOW/ACB) registered an FIR in the alleged scam, probing the corruption angle. On December 22, the EOW/ACB had filed its seventh supplementary charge sheet against Chaitanya Baghel. It stated that evidence indicates that Chaitanya Baghel managed the proceeds of crime at a higher level and received around Rs 200-250 crore as his share.

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The ongoing investigation into the scam suggests the proceeds of crime generated from the alleged scam could exceed Rs 3,500 crore, the EOW/ACB had claimed.