Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Raipur, Nov 13 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Raipur Zonal Office, has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 61.20 crore of Chaitanya Baghel under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
This action has been taken in connection with the ongoing investigation into the Chhattisgarh liquor scam worth crores of rupees.
According to officials, the attached assets include 364 residential plots and agricultural lands worth ₹59.96 crore, as well as bank balances and fixed deposits worth ₹1.24 crore.
The attachment has been made following an investigation initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offenses Wing (ACB/EOW), Raipur under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860 and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The police investigation had earlier revealed that the liquor scam caused huge losses to the state exchequer, while generating over ₹2,500 crore in proceeds of crime (POC) for the beneficiaries.
The ED investigation under PMLA revealed that Chaitanya Baghel, son of former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, played a central role in the syndicate.
Positioned at its helm, he reportedly served as the controller and final authority overseeing the accounts of illicit funds.
Major decisions regarding collection, channelization and distribution of POC were reportedly taken under his instructions.
The ED further found that Baghel received POCs, which he projected as legitimate properties through his real estate ventures.
The investigators said that the money obtained from the liquor scam was used to develop his real estate project ‘Vitthal Green’ under his owned company M/s Baghel Developers.
Baghel was arrested by the ED on July 18, 2025 and is in judicial custody. This latest seizure of ₹61.20 crore adds to the previous seizure of immovable properties worth about ₹215 crore, marking a significant step in the agency’s efforts to dismantle the financial network behind the scam.
Several high-profile persons have already been arrested in the case, including former IAS officers Anil Tuteja, Arvind Singh, Trilok Singh Dhillon, Anwar Dhebar, Arun Pati Tripathi (ITS), and MLA and then Chhattisgarh Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma.
The ED stressed that the investigation is ongoing and further action may be taken as the agency continues to trace and attach properties linked to the POC in the state’s biggest liquor scam.
–IANS
sctr/row