Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Chhattisgarh has intensified its investigation into the alleged ‘liquor scam’ that grabbed the nation’s attention after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) following its initial probe into the matter claimed to unearth a Rs 2100 crore scam that flourished in the state of Chhattisgarh between 2019 to 2022.
Furthering its investigation into the case, the EOW has now arrested Dilip Pandey, state head for Chhattisgarh of Prizm Holography and Security Film Private Limited, a Noida based firm which supplied the fake hologram to the liquor syndicate between the aforementioned period as claimed by ED.
The arrest was made days after the EOW’s officials recovered partially burnt fake holograms from a private property linked to Anwar Dhebar, a key accused and elder brother of Raipur’s mayor, Ejaj Dhebar a senior leader of the Congress party from Dhaneli village.
Pandey was taken into custody and interrogated subsequently following which the officials seized hard drive of an industrial computer linked with the printing setup of fake hologram from the basement of GST Bhavan in Nava Raipur.
According to the reports, the said setup was used to print serial numbers of fake holograms of the liquor bottles. Further the officials have also recovered documents pertaining to the transportation of these fake holograms from Noida to Raipur on the basis of inputs provided by Pandey.
It’s been further revealed that the owner of Prizm Holography Limited, Vidhu Gupta on instructions of the liquor syndicate composed of retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Arun Pati Tripathi the then managing director of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL), a state body for purchase and sale of liquor in Chhattisgarh and Anwar Dhebar supplied the said fake holograms to the Chhattisgarh based distillers.
Prizm Holography and Security Film Private Limited
Owned by Vidhu Gupta, an accused in the multi-crore scam, the Noida based firm Prizm Holography rose to prominence after the zonal director of ED directed the Uttar Pradesh police to investigate irregularities linked to supply of duplicate holograms to the liquor syndicate operating in Chhattisgarh.
Following ED’s complaint, a case was filed at Kasna police of Uttar Pradesh against Vidhu Gupta, Anwar Dhebar, Arun Pati Tripathi, IAS Niranjan Das and Anil Tuteja, the alleged kingpin of the multi-crore scam on July 30 last year.
Notably, the Organiser in August last year reported about the details of the ED complaint which stated that an investigation into the matter has revealed that the said firm was illegally granted a tender to supply holograms to the excise department of Chhattisgarh.
It further claimed that the company was not eligible to participate in the tender process, but in connivance with the company’s owner, the senior officials of the state of Chhattisgarh, namely Arun Pati Tripathi, Niranjan Das and Anil Tuteja modified the tender condition and illegally allotted the tender to the said company.
The ED’s complaint further revealed that as a quid pro quo, the officials took commission of 8 paisa per hologram and also took a commitment to supply unaccounted duplicate holograms to carry out a sinister crime of selling illegal country liquor bottles from state run shops in Chhattisgarh.
The Holograms were made at the Noida factory, and then transported to Chhattisgarh as per the instructions from the Liquor syndicate leaders. The syndicate, as part of the arrangement, allotted the contract to supply 80 crore holograms in 5 years at a highly inflated price to the said firm in return for on-demand supply of duplicate holograms.
Furthering its investigation into the matter the Special Task Force (STF) of the Uttar Pradesh police apprehended Vidhu Gupta in connection with the case in May this year. Other than Gupta, the UP police had also taken custody of Anwar Dhebar and Tripthi who were later produced before a Meerut’s court on transit remand in connection with the case.
EOW investigation into the matter
It is noteworthy that EOW in January this year filed a separate First Information Report (FIR) into the matter in which the agency had named as many as 70 people including of businessmen, leaders of the Congress party, and a few state officials, in connection with the multi crore scam.
The case was registered on the basis of a report of ED in which the central agency had claimed to unearth a Rs 2100 crore liquor scam in the state being operated by a cartel composed of bureaucrats, private liquor suppliers, government officials and persons with heavy political backing between 2019 to 2022.
Based on its investigation the EOW on July 1 filed a 9000 page chargesheet against key accused Anwar Dhebar, Arun Pati Tripathi and others before a special court of Raipur.
