Enforcement Directorate Freezes Assets in Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam Investigation

Enforcement Directorate Takes Action Against Officials

On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate announced the provisional attachment of properties valued at Rs 38.21 crore belonging to Niranjan Das, a former Indian Administrative Service officer, along with 30 other officials from the excise department. This action is part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh.

This attachment was executed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, as stated by the Enforcement Directorate in a social media update.

The seized assets comprise 78 immovable properties, including bungalows, luxury flats, commercial spaces, and agricultural land.

Additionally, the agency has frozen 197 movable assets, which include fixed deposits, bank account balances, life insurance policies, and investments in stocks and mutual funds.

According to the ED, from 2019 to 2022, a group of senior bureaucrats, politicians, and excise officials allegedly ran an illicit liquor operation in Chhattisgarh, leading to an estimated loss of Rs 2,883 crore to the state's revenue.

It is claimed that Das alone received over Rs 18 crore in illegal commissions, while the collective proceeds of crime for the 31 excise officials amounted to Rs 89.56 crore.

In a separate development, the Enforcement Directorate's Raipur office submitted a supplementary chargesheet on December 26, identifying 81 individuals as accused in a final prosecution complaint presented to the special PMLA court in Raipur.

The chargesheet includes names such as Anil Tuteja, a former IAS officer, Soumya Chaurasia, a former Deputy Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office, Niranjan Das, Arun Pati Tripathi, a Special Secretary in the excise department, and businessman Anwar Dhebar.

Political figures mentioned in the supplementary chargesheet include Kawasi Lakhma, a six-time Congress MLA and former excise minister, as well as Chaitanya Baghel, the son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.