Political figures, bureaucrats formed syndicate to perpetrate Chhattisgarh liquor 'scam': ED

New Delhi: The ED on Tuesday said it has attached fresh assets worth more than Rs 100 crore of former Chhattisgarh excise commissioner Niranjan Das, 30 other excise officials and some major distilleries as part of its investigation into an alleged Rs 2,800-crore liquor scam in the state during the previous Congress government.

The Enforcement Directorate alleged that a "criminal" syndicate, involving senior bureaucrats and political figures of the state, "completely hijacked" the Chhattisgarh excise department between 2019 and 2023.

The provisionally attached assets include 78 properties like luxury bungalows, flats in premium complexes, commercial shop spaces and agricultural lands apart from 197 investments -- fixed deposits (FDs), balances in multiple bank accounts, life insurance policies and a diverse portfolio of equity shares and mutual funds, the ED said.

These assets worth a total Rs 38.21 crore belong to Das, an IAS officer, and 30 other excise officials, the federal probe agency said in a statement.

"This attachment highlights the deep-rooted complicity of the very officials tasked with protecting state revenue," the statement added.

The other set of properties, worth Rs 68.16 crore, belongs to three major Chhattisgarh-based distilleries named Chhattisgarh Distilleries Ltd., Bhatia Wine Merchants Pvt. Ltd., and Welcome Distilleries Pvt Ltd., it said.

Das and Arun Pati Tripathi (then MD of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited) "spearheaded" a "parallel" excise system that "bypassed" state controls to generate massive illegal earnings, it claimed.

The agency filed a fresh chargesheet in this case on December 26 detailing a "massive" corruption executed within the excise department between 2019-2023 resulting in the generation of proceeds of crime worth Rs 2,883 crore, the statement said.

"The investigation has revealed a well-organized criminal syndicate that subverted the state's liquor policy for personal gain through a multi-layered mechanism involving illegal commissions and the sale of unaccounted liquor," the ED said.

A total of 81 persons have been named as accused in the chargesheets filed in this case by the ED including Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, Das, former joint secretary and retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma and former deputy secretary in the CM's office Saumya Chaurasia.

Anwar Dhebar, the elder brother of Raipur mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar, the three distilleries and some other private individuals have also been named as accused in the ED chargesheets, as per the agency.

The ED claimed that its probe found a "deep-rooted conspiracy" across the then state's administrative and political hierarchy for illegal financial gains.

It said Chaitanya Baghel and Lakhma were arraigned as accused for their roles in "giving policy assent" and acquiring/utilizing alleged illicit funds in their businesses/real estate projects.

The ED identified Chaurasia as a "key coordinator" for handling illicit cash and managing appointments of compliant officers in the state excise department.

"The investigation established that excise officials were paid a fixed commission of Rs 140 per liquor case for allowing the sale of liquor in their jurisdictions.

"Niranjan Das alone is identified to have acquired more than Rs 18 crore proceeds of crime receiving a monthly bribe of Rs 50 lakh for facilitating the scam," the ED alleged.

The syndicate generated "illegal" earnings from the liquor trade through four distinct channels that included illegal commissions, unaccounted sales, cartel commission, FL-10A licences to "extort" commission from foreign liquor manufacturers, according to the ED.