Raipur: The Enforcement Directorate on Monday raided the premises of former Chhattisgarh chief minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel as part of a probe against his son in an alleged liquor scam linked to a money laundering case, official sources said.
The premises of Bhupesh Baghel’s son — Chaitanya Baghel — in Bhillai and some other persons in the state are being searched under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the sources said.
Chaitanya Baghel shares the Bhillai accommodation with his father and hence the premises are being covered.
It is alleged that under the scam, a total of Rs 2,161 crore was siphoned off through various schemes between 2019 and 2023, during the previous Congress government in Chattisgarh.
Soon after the searches started on Monday, Baghel’s official social media handle on X released a statement claiming that it was part of a conspiracy to stop Baghel from doing party work in Punjab.
The statement read, “While the false case going on for seven years was dismissed in court, today ED guests have entered the Bhilai residence of former Chief Minister, Congress General Secretary Bhupesh Baghel this morning. If someone is trying to stop Congress in Punjab with this conspiracy, then it is a misunderstanding.”
Earlier this year, Baghel was chosen by the Congress as its general secretary for Punjab.
Since then, he has visited Punjab once, taken meetings with political leaders, and started preparations for the Punjab elections set to be held two years from now. “He has also met with Punjab leaders in Delhi. He will travel more to Punjab now,” said a source close to Baghel.
The ED had registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in January last year against alleged mastermind of the liquor scam, Anwar Dhebar, who is the brother of Raipur mayor Aijaz Dhebar; retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, then joint secretary in Chhattisgarh; ITS Arun Pati Tripathi, then Special Secretary Government Commerce and Industry Department and MD, CG State Marketing Corporation Ltd; and others for allegedly collecting commissions and supplying unaccounted liquor to government liquor shops, resulting in approximate loss of Rs 2,161 crore to the state government.
In January, ED arrested former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, 67, for his alleged role in the scam. ED counsel Saurabh Kumar Pandey told the court that Lakhma received Rs 72 crore in the scam and alleged that he used some of the money to build a Congress office and a home for his son.
