The alleged excise scam involved on the son of the former Chief Minister, a total of seventy accused in the trial
Generally, Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, stays away from the limelight of the media, but everything overturned after March 20. The enforcement Directorate (ED) team reached their premises in Bhilai in Durg district around seven in the morning. Everyone was surprised how his name was involved with the alleged liquor scam worth Rs 2100 crore in Chhattisgarh. Or is there something else behind the screen? The ED believes that the scam took place between 2019 and 2022 during the then Congress government in Chhattisgarh. At that time, the minister of the Excise Department of the state was Kavasi Lakhma. The investigating agency alleges that during this time an organized gang reshuffled liquor policy and created a parallel system, making liquor illegally sold across the state. The ED believes that Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL) used to buy liquor from only those suppliers who used to pay commission to this gang. Not only this, fake liquor was also sold for which bottles and hologram gangs were provided.
In addition, the investigating agency thinks that the gang was in hand in the hands of Anwar Dhebar, brother of Raipur Mayor Ejaz Dhebar and retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja. So far, ED has arrested former Excise Minister Kavasi Lakhma, Anwar Dhebar, Anil Tuteja and then IAS officer Arunapati Tripathi. Kavasi Lakhma is accused of taking a commission of Rs 72 crore. The second FIR registered in January 2024 includes a total of 70 accused, including several government officials and leaders. The ED believes that a total of Rs 2161 crore has been made from this scam and so far assets worth Rs 205 crore have been seized.
Chaitanya Baghel
The raids of the complex ED at Bhilai of Chaitanya Baghel lasted for about eight hours. Apart from this, the ED also raided the locations of his close associate Laxmi Narayan Bansal alias Pappu Bansal and 14 other places. After the raid, Bhupesh Baghel wrote in a post on social media platform X, “ED has left the house. He has found three things in my house: First, Manturam and Dr. Puneet Gupta (Dr. Raman Singh’s son-in-law) conversation of crores of transactions between crores of transactions. About 33 lakh rupees, including “Cash in Hand”, will be accounted for. ” On the day of the raid, Baghel was in Chandigarh for the Punjab Congress meeting, in -charge of which he is the Congress General Secretary in charge. He told reporters there, “Whenever I get a new responsibility from the party, then there are raids. So they do not matter much. ”
BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Arun Saw says, “There have been big scams during Bhupesh Baghel’s tenure. ED’s action has been going on for a long time. In the investigation, he must have found any evidence and the ED has taken action based on it. If there is no role in him (Bhupesh Baghel), there should be no fear or panic.”
Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh in -charge and Rajasthan Congress leader Sachin Pilot wrote in a post on X, “The raid of ED at former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel clearly reveals the intention of political vengeance of the central government. BJP ED, CBI is using opposition leaders to intimidate and suppress. And every struggle for the fight for justice is accepted. “
