Raipur: Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, was at the helm of the syndicate behind the “liquor scam” in Chhattisgarh and personally handled nearly Rs 1,000 crore generated from it, the ED has alleged in its prosecution complaint.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also claimed Chaitanya knowingly assisted in the concealment, possession, acquisition and use of proceeds of crime, acting in conspiracy with other members of the syndicate. It made the claims in its fourth supplementary prosecution complaint (charge sheet) filed before the court of District and Additional Sessions Judge (VI) Damarudhar Chouhan on Monday.
Chaitanya Baghel was arrested by the central agency on July 18 following a search at his house which he shares with his father in Bhilai town of Durg district. The alleged Rs 2,500 crore liquor scam was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when a Congress government headed by Bhupesh Baghel in office in the state.
The ED has so far filed one prosecution complaint and four supplementary ones in the case, and claimed the alleged scam resulted in a “massive loss” to the state exchequer and filled the pockets of the liquor syndicate beneficiaries.
In the latest prosecution complaint, the ED stated that, in 2019, after the formation of the new (Congress) government in Chhattisgarh, an organised liquor syndicate was created. To run the day-to-day operations of this syndicate, Anil Tuteja, then an IAS officer, and businessman Anwar Dhebar (both named as accused in previous prosecution complaints) were chosen as the front faces, it claimed.
“At the apex of this syndicate stood Chaitanya, and his role was not just symbolic but commanding and decisive. He was responsible for maintaining ‘hisab’ of all illicit funds collected by the syndicate...” it
alleged.