After the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Deputy Chief Minister Arun Saw on Saturday claimed that people already knew that a big liquor scam was going on in the state and the investigating agencies had taken action against the people involved on the basis of evidence.
Saw told reporters here, “The common people of Chhattisgarh knew that the liquor scam was going on in the state. After getting the information about the scam, the Income Tax and the ED investigated the case. The investigation of the ED is still going on. Action is being taken against all those who are facing evidence before the ED. It was a big scam.”
Earlier, in the day, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi criticized the central government for the arrest of Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and alleged that the step is a strategy to suppress the voice of the people and torture the opposition.
Priyanka, Lok Sabha MP from Wayanad, claimed in a post on X that the government has dedicated all the forests of Chhattisgarh to Gautam Adani, the president of the Adani Group.
He alleged that the ED raided Bhupesh Baghel’s house and arrested his son so that he could not raise the issue in the state assembly.
The Congress leader said, “The BJP government has dedicated all the forests of Chhattisgarh to Adani ji. The forests are being destroyed by openly violating the instructions of the Pesa law and the NGT. Former Chief Minister Shri Bhupesh Baghel ji was going to raise the issue in the assembly. To stop them, the ED raided his house in the morning and arrested his son.”
Officials confirmed that the Enforcement Directorate on Friday arrested Chaitanya Baghel in connection with the ongoing investigation into the alleged crores of liquor scam in the state.
The action was taken by the agency a few hours after the raid at Chaitanya’s residence in Chhattisgarh. The raids were part of the agency’s widespread action on suspected money laundering and irregularities related to crores of rupees scam.
After the raid, Bhupesh Baghel’s office posted on X that the ED had arrived. Today is the last day of the assembly session. Today, the issue of trees being cut in Tamanar was to be raised for Adani. “Sahab” has sent the ED to the residence in Bhilai.
A few months earlier, the agency seized Rs 30 lakh from Bhupesh Baghel and his son Chaitanya’s residence in March this year.
The amount was recovered during a one -day search operation run at a total of 14 places across Chhattisgarh in a case related to alleged irregularities in liquor trade in Chhattisgarh, including suspected illegal commission and money laundering. The ED has found that Chaitanya Baghel is also a recipient of the income of crime arising from the liquor scam, with the total income of the crime of about Rs 2,161 crore, which has been withdrawn through various schemes.
Reacting to the raid, Bhupesh Baghel’s office posted on ‘X’, saying, “When the false case going on for seven years was dismissed in the court, this morning, the guests of ED entered the Bhilai residence of former Chief Minister and Congress General Secretary Bhupesh Baghel. If someone is trying to stop the Congress in Punjab through this conspiracy, it is a misunderstanding.”
The ED has alleged that a cartel of government officials, politicians and liquor traders launched a scheme, under which between 2019 and 2022, the sale of liquor in the state illegally collected about Rs 2,161 crore. The alleged scam included manipulation in the liquor supply chain, where a cartel controlled the sale and distribution of liquor through government shops.
A portion of the liquor sold was not recorded in the official record, and was reportedly taken from suppliers to allow its sale outside the legal system.
The investigation is based on a prior report of the Income Tax Department, pointing to irregularities in liquor trade. Earlier, the ED had arrested several prominent accused, including IAS officer Anil Tuteja and Raipur’s Mayor’s brother liquor businessman Anwar Dhebar. The agency had earlier raided several places including the previous Congress -led government and bureaucrats in Chhattisgarh.