Trouble continues to mount for the Baghel govt in Chhattisgarh with sensational details about the liquor scam emerging. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in its prosecution complaint filed in the special PMLA court has alleged that a whopping Rs 2161 crore were generated in the Chhattisgarh liquor scam.
The nexus in the scam comprised senior government officials, politicians, and other individuals, it alleged. The scam has caused a loss of a staggering Rs 2,161 crore to the exchequer, ED stated in court.
ED has named Anwar Dhebar (51), brother of Raipur mayor Aijaz Dhebar of the Congress, Arunpati Tripathi (55), an Indian Telecom Services official, businessman Trilok Dhillon (59), and their aides Nitesh Purohit (51) and Arvind Singh (48).
Anwar Dhebar was apprehended by the ED in May and remanded to four-day custody. Following his arrest, ED attached 119 immovable properties worth Rs 121.87 crore in the case. ED has also attached assets of Anil Tuteja and Arunpati Tripathi in May. 14 properties of Tuteja worth over 8.83 crores and Dhebar’s Raipur hotel Vennington Court were also attached.
ED has attached 119 immovable assets worth ₹121.87 Crore in respect of Anil Tuteja, Anwar Dhebar, Arunpati Tripathi and others in the ongoing investigation of liquor scam in the State of Chhattisgarh. Total seizure and attachment in the case stand at approx. Rs 180 Crore. pic.twitter.com/8Vwt5m1F4L
— ED (@dir_ed) May 22, 2023
During its investigation, ED found that between 2019 and 2022, unaccounted illicit liquor worth 30-40% of the overall liquor sales in the state was sold at the behest of the syndicate.
While NAN scam-accused IAS officer Anil Tuteja managed the money collected in the scam, Anwar Dhebar, brother of Raipur’s Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, was the kingpin of the syndicate and after the deduction of a specific percentage, all the money went to Anwar.
Seeking Dhebar’s remand in May, the agency had submitted in its application that they received the Prosecution Complained filed by the IT Department along with documentary and digital data seized in search operations against Tuteja and others in the matter related to money laundering.
Based on the analysis of the data by the ED, the investigation agency found there was a syndicate operating to collect bribes by controlling the high-level management of important State departments and SPSUs.
ED further noted that Tuteja was managing the affairs while Dhebar was the syndicate’s kingpin. They used their political connections to expand the syndicate across the state, particularly in the excise department.
ED pointed out that they collected hundreds of crores in cash from “every possible point of access in a distributed hierarchical manner.” The actors involved in the scam would keep a small percentage of the collection and transfer the remaining funds to Dhebar.
Furthermore, the syndicate would allegedly keep their cut and send the money for the “benefit of the Political executives and electioneering.” ED alleged the loot “caused a massive loss to the State Exchequer and loss of central government taxes and in general loot from the local business community.”
Mentioning the family background of Dhebar, ED noted that he is the brother of Raipur’s mayor, who is under investigation by CBI in a murder case. Dhebar was allegedly running the syndicate at the behest of his political masters.
ED said during the investigation, the department found the syndicate was collecting a large number of bribes from liquor suppliers. They also collected bribes from other departments, including the food horticulture department and the PWD Department. ED said the retrieved messages from the seized devices showed how deep-rooted the syndicate was in different state departments.
ED said, “It was found that the corruption was systemic and so deep-rooted with multiple associates in different State Departments, that the accused persons and syndicate was forced to maintain detailed logs and accounts of the collected money lest there may be pilferage from the crime money itself.”
BJP President JP Nadda 1st July hit out at the Bhupesh Baghel govt saying it was completely covered in corruption.
