Former Chhattisgarh CM Baghel's son got ₹250 crore from liquor 'scam': charge sheet

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Chaitanya, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, received from 200 crores The Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offenses Wing (ACB/EOW) in its chargesheet has claimed that he had got a share of Rs 250 crore in an alleged liquor scam in the state.

The ACB/EOW of the state police, in its seventh supplementary charge sheet in the multi-crore liquor scam filed before a special court on Monday (December 22), claimed that Chaitanya Baghel had played a key role in setting up, coordinating and protecting an extortion racket (syndicate) within the excise department (during the previous Congress government, which was in power from 2018-23).

The massive document, spanning nearly 3,800 pages, names Chaitanya Baghel as an accused in the alleged scam.

Rs 3,000 crore, an ACB/EOW statement said.

With this, a total of eight chargesheets have been filed in the case so far.

The latest charge sheet details the current status of investigation against the arrested accused as well as digital evidence reports on all those detained. The document also outlines the progress of the ongoing investigation against the accused persons.

Quoting the charge sheet, the statement said Chaitanya Baghel acted as a coordinator between officials such as Anil Tuteja, Soumya Chaurasia, Arunpati Tripathi and Niranjan Das, who served the interests of the syndicate at the administrative level and grassroots level activists of the network such as Anwar Dhebar, Arvind Singh and Vikas Aggarwal (all co-accused) and issued instructions to them.

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It claims that Chaitanya Baghel worked to transfer and manage the scam proceeds collected by businessman Anwar Dhebar’s team through his trusted associates to move the money to higher levels.

He allegedly received his share of the income through various firms of liquor baron Trilok Singh Dhillon, transferred it to his family firms through banking channels and used it in real estate projects.

Besides this, it was also found that he received and invested huge sums of money arising from the scam through banking channels through his family members, friends and associates, the charge sheet claims.

“Evidence indicates that Chaitanya managed the proceeds of crime at a high level as well as received money from the neighborhood,” the investigating agency said. 200 crores-There was Rs 250 crore as his share.” The investigation also revealed that the high-level security, policy/administrative interference and influence provided to the syndicate by Chaitanya Baghel enabled it to carry out this crime over a longer period of time, it was claimed.

“Ongoing investigation reveals that the amount involved in the liquor scam is estimated to be approximately 3,074 crores. However, further investigation reveals that the total amount of proceeds of crime generated from the alleged scam may exceed

3,500 crore,” it added.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the money laundering angle in the alleged scam, arrested Chaitanya Baghel on July 18 after searching his house in Bhilai town in Durg district, which he shares with his father, a Congress leader.

According to the ED prosecution complaint (chargesheet) filed earlier, Chaitanya Baghel “handled” more than this. “Proceeds of crime” worth Rs 1,000 crore generated from liquor “scam” in the state.

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The central agency has said that the alleged scam resulted in “huge loss” to the state exchequer and lined the pockets of the beneficiaries of the liquor syndicate.

This scam was carried out between 2019 and 2022 when the then CM Bhupesh Baghel was leading the Congress government in Chhattisgarh.

The anti-money laundering agency said the money was collected “illegally” from “every” bottle of liquor sold in Chhattisgarh (between 2019 and 2022).

Chaitanya Baghel was arrested by the ACB/EOW in September when he was in jail under judicial custody.

The ED in January had arrested former excise minister and Congress leader Kawasi Lakhma, businessman Anwar Dhebar (brother of Congress leader and former Raipur mayor Aijaz Dhebar), former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Indian Telecom Office (IT) officer Aunpati Tripathi and some others.

The EOW/ACB registered an FIR in the alleged scam on January 17, 2024, naming 70 individuals and companies, including Lakhma and former chief secretary Vivek Dhand.

After his son’s arrest, former CM Baghel claimed that the action was taken because Congress had tried to stop deforestation and mining activities in the state during its rule.

The Congress leader also alleged that investigating agencies were being misused to target opposition leaders.