New Delhi. Cash worth Rs 53 lakh and gold jewelery and bullion worth over Rs 4 crore were seized during recent raids conducted in connection with the investigation into a money laundering case related to the alleged Rs 2,800 crore liquor scam in Chhattisgarh. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) gave this information on Sunday.
The premises of liquor traders, chartered accountants, businessmen and corporate units in Raipur, Durg, Bhilai (Durg district) and Bilaspur were raided on April 30. The Enforcement Directorate said in a statement that these entities are suspected of receiving, handling, diverting or concealing the proceeds of crime earned from this alleged ‘scam’.
The agency said cash worth Rs 53 lakh and 3.23 kg of gold jewelery and bullion worth Rs 4.86 crore were seized during the raid. Besides, “incriminating” documents and digital devices were also recovered. The central agency has already conducted several rounds of raids in this case and has so far attached properties worth Rs 380 crore.
According to the Enforcement Directorate, the alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh took place between 2019 and 2022 during the Congress government led by former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. The directorate has alleged that a “criminal” gang linked to senior bureaucrats and political personalities of the state had taken complete control of the Chhattisgarh Excise Department, causing “huge loss” to the state exchequer. The agency has estimated the proceeds of crime at Rs 2,883 crore. The agency has so far filed six charge sheets in this case and registered the names of 81 accused.
These include Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and former Excise Commissioner of Chhattisgarh Niranjan Das, former Joint Secretary and retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, former Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma and former Deputy Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office Soumya Chaurasia, among others. These accused have challenged the ED proceedings in various courts.
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