Raipur: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday raided the residence of Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, as part of its ongoing probe into a multi-crore liquor scam in the state. The operation is linked to alleged money laundering and financial irregularities tied to the sale and distribution of alcohol.
This latest action follows earlier raids in March 2025, during which the ED reportedly seized ₹30 lakh from the Baghel residence. Those searches were part of a broader operation spanning 14 locations across Chhattisgarh.
In response to the Friday raid, Bhupesh Baghel’s office posted on social media platform X:
“ED has arrived. Today is the last day of the Assembly session. The issue of trees being cut in Tamnar for Adani was supposed to be raised today. ‘Saheb ‘has sent the ED to the Bhilai residence.”
The ED has claimed that Chaitanya Baghel was among the recipients of funds linked to the scam, which it estimates involved over ₹2,161 crore siphoned through illicit commissions and unrecorded liquor sales between 2019 and 2022.
According to the agency, a nexus of bureaucrats, politicians, and liquor businessmen manipulated the liquor supply system. The cartel allegedly sold liquor through state-run shops while diverting unaccounted stock outside the official system, collecting bribes from suppliers in the process.
The investigation stems from an earlier Income Tax Department report that highlighted significant discrepancies in Chhattisgarh’s liquor trade.
Several individuals have already been arrested in connection with the case, including senior IAS officer Anil Tuteja and liquor businessman Anwar Dhebar, who is the brother of Raipur’s mayor. The ED has previously carried out multiple raids on bureaucrats and politicians linked to the former Congress-led government.
After the March 2025 raid, Bhupesh Baghel’s office stated:
“When the false case going on for seven years was dismissed in court, the ED arrived at the Bhilai residence of former CM and Congress General Secretary Bhupesh Baghel. If someone thinks this conspiracy will stop Congress in Punjab, they are mistaken.”
The ED maintains that the scam represents one of the largest illicit revenue collection operations in the state’s recent history.
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