Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached as many as 119 immovable assets worth Rs 121.87 cr of Anwar Dhebar, Anil Tuteja, Arunpati Tripathi and others in connection with the Rs 2000 cr liquor scam of Chhattisgarh on May 22. The total assets attached or seized so far in the alleged 2000 cr scam in the State stands at approx 180 cr, informed the central agency in a tweet.
ED has attached 119 immovable assets worth ₹121.87 Crore in respect of Anil Tuteja, Anwar Dhebar, Arunpati Tripathi and others in the ongoing investigation of liquor scam in the State of Chhattisgarh. Total seizure and attachment in the case stand at approx. Rs 180 Crore. pic.twitter.com/8Vwt5m1F4L
— ED (@dir_ed) May 22, 2023
As per its investigation so far, the agency had claimed to unearth a Rs 2000 cr liquor scam in the State being operated by a cartel composed of Bureaucrats, private liquor suppliers, Government officials and persons with heavy political backing. On May 6, ED arrested Anwar Dhebar, the elder brother of the senior congress leader and mayor of Raipur Ajaj Dhebar and claimed that Anwar Dhebar was the main kingpin on the ground in which around Rs 2000 cr was illegally generated by the criminal syndicate.
Other than Anwar Dhebar, ED had also arrested hotel promoter Nitish Purohit and liquor trader Triloki Singh Dhillon alias Pappu Dhillon alongside seizing proceeds of crime worth Rs 28 cr on 11th of this month, the central agency, in its submission before the court, had alleged that Nitish Purohit, promoter of a Raipur based Giriraj hotel was well aware of the illegal operations of Anwar Dhebar and had willingly assisted him in the movements of proceeds of Crime to IAS Anil Tuteja, another kingpin of the scam along with Anwar.
ED has arrested Nitesh Purohit & Trilok Singh Dhillon for their role in the money laundering offence in the Liquor Scam of Chhattisgarh. Court has granted ED Custody of Anwar Dhebar, Nitesh Purohit and Trilok Singh Dhillon upto 15.5.2023.
— ED (@dir_ed) May 11, 2023
The economic intelligence agency had also arrested Arun Pati Tripathi, special secretary, department of Excise Government of Chhattisgarh and managing director of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL) on May 12. The CSMCL in the State handles retail sales of all kinds of liquor/wine/beer to the consumers.
It is to be noted that the Bhupesh Baghel-led congress Government in the State has been on the back foot after the unearthing of the multi-crore scam, which also involved the elder brother of the senior congress leader considered close to the Chief Minister as one of the main kingpins. The shocking revelation of the economic intelligence agency has also led the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party to go its all guns blazing on the Baghel-led Government in the poll-bound State.
Earlier, while lashing out at the congress Government, BJP leader K K Sharma had alleged that The kingpin of the scam, Anwar Dhebar, had called a meeting of the liquor supplier in the year 2019, many Government officials were also part of that meeting in which he asked the suppliers to pay a commission upto 75 Rs to 150 on every bottle, he also made illegal liquor and made sure that it got transported directly to the retail liquor shop evading entries in the Government books, the share of these illegal liquor sold in the last four year is around 30 to 40 per cent.
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