Raipur: Economic Offence Wing (EOW) and Anti-Corruption Bureau of Chhattisgarh on May 20 conducted raids at over 20 locations in multiple districts of the state in connection with Rs 2100 crore alleged liquor scam.
Officials of the agency raided over a dozen locations in Durg district, while simultaneous raids were also conducted at two separate places of Mahasamund district. A total of 22 places have been raided during the crackdown launched by the officials in early hours of Tuesday.
According to the preliminary information received, the raids have been conducted at premises linked with close aides of jailed Congress leader and former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma.
The sleuths of the agency raided multiple premises of several businessmen in Bhilai of Durg in the wee hours of Tuesday. Meanwhile raids have also been conducted at Basna and Sankara of Mahasamund.
The raids conducted on Tuesday follows a similar crackdown launched by the agency’s sleuths on May 17 under which around one dozen premises linked with aides of the former excise minister were raided.
13 separate teams of agency raided a total of 13 locations in Ambikapur, Dantewada, Sukma, Jagdalpur and Raipur. The crackdown reportedly resulted in seizure of various important documents, electronic devices along with cash.
Arrest of former excise minister and Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma
Earlier Enforcement Directorate (ED) in January this year arrested senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh excise minister, Kawasi Lakhma in connection with Rs 2100 crore liquor scam.
Lakhma, a sitting MLA of the Congress party was taken into custody after he appeared before the agency’s zonal office at Raipur. Following his arrest the ED claimed that the Congress MLA was receiving a hefty sum of money on a monthly basis out of the proceeds of crime generated under Rs 2100 alleged liquor scam.
According to ED, Lakhma was paid Rs 2 crore on a monthly basis, which includes two separate payments of Rs 50 lakhs and Rs 1.5 crore.
“Two people Arun Pati Tripathi and Arvind Singh had given statements against him (Lakhma). Singh had disclosed that the liquor cartel used to pay Rs 50 lakhs monthly to Lakhma while Tripathi had informed about an additional payment of Rs 1.5 crore (monthly) to the former minister, said ED’s counsel.
As per the agency, Kawasi Lakhma was one of the main recipients of proceeds of crime in cash during his regime as excise minister in the previous Congress government of the state.
ED investigation into the liquor scam, which ran between 2019 and 2022, revealed that proceeds of crime were generated as illegal commissions, which were generated in multiple ways.
The agency said that bribes were collected from the distillers per ‘case’ of liquor procured from them by the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL), a state body for the purchase and sale of liquor.
Sale of unaccounted “kacha off-the-books” country liquor was another way to generate illegal money, claimed the agency, adding “In this case, not even a single rupee reached the State Exchequer, and all the sale proceeds were pocketed by the syndicate. The illegal liquor was sold from state-run shops only”.
“Bribes are taken from distillers to allow them to make a cartel and have fixed market share, and holders who were introduced to earn in foreign liquor segment also,” said the ED.
Notably, Retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, former excise department official Arun Pati Tripathi, former Raipur Mayor and Congress party leader Aijaz Dhebar’s brother Anwar Dhebar, liquor businessman Trilok Singh Dhillon and Arvind Singh are already in jail in connection with the alleged scam.
EOW’s investigation into the matter
EOW in January last year filed a separate First Information Report (FIR) into the matter naming 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 agency had claimed to unearth 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.
Based on its investigation the EOW in July last year filed a 9000 page chargesheet against key accused Anwar Dhebar, Arun Pati Tripathi and others before a special court of Raipur.
