The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted raids at 14 locations in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district including properties linked to former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and his son Chaitanya as part of an ongoing probe into the state’s alleged ₹4,000-crore liquor scam.
According to ED sources Chaitanya Baghel is suspected to have received proceeds of crime from the scam with investigators tracing fraudulent transactions amounting to ₹2,161 crore. This development follows the recent arrest of former excise minister Kawasi Lakma in January which intensified scrutiny on Baghel’s administration.
Baghel responded to the raids with a statement on X, calling it a politically motivated attempt to suppress the opposition. He alleged that such actions were aimed at weakening the Congress ahead of elections.
The ED’s probe into Chhattisgarh’s excise policy launched in 2023, uncovered a nexus between distillery owners, politicians and bureaucrats, which allegedly led to massive revenue losses for the state. Investigations revealed that unaccounted liquor sales, facilitated by a corrupt syndicate bypassed the state’s regulated liquor network, generating large sums of black money.
Among those already under ED scrutiny are top officials, including IAS officers and businessmen with ties to the liquor trade. With searches extending to associates of Baghel and key political figures, the case is expected to have significant legal and political ramifications in the coming weeks.
