Raipur, July 18: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday arrested Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in connection with an ongoing investigation into a multi-crore liquor scam in the state, officials confirmed.
The arrest came just hours after the ED conducted raids at Chaitanya Baghel’s residence in Chhattisgarh. The searches were part of a wider crackdown on alleged money laundering and financial irregularities tied to the liquor scam, which is believed to have siphoned off thousands of crores.
Reacting to the raids, Bhupesh Baghel’s office posted on social media platform X:
"ED has arrived. Today is the last day of the Assembly session. The issue of trees being cut in Tamnar for Adani was supposed to be raised today. 'Saheb' has sent the ED to the Bhilai residence."
This latest action follows an earlier ED operation in March, during which Rs 30 lakh was seized from the residence of Bhupesh Baghel and his son. That search was part of a broader probe into alleged corruption in Chhattisgarh’s liquor trade, involving suspected illegal commissions and laundering of illicit funds. Raids were conducted at 14 locations across the state.
According to the ED, Chaitanya Baghel is a direct “recipient of proceeds of crime” from the liquor scam. The agency alleges that approximately Rs 2,161 crore was illegally generated and funneled through a network of corrupt government officials, politicians, and liquor business operators.
In an earlier statement following the March raids, Bhupesh Baghel's office had said on X:
“When the false case going on for seven years was dismissed in the court, today the guests of ED have entered the Bhilai residence of former Chief Minister and Congress General Secretary Bhupesh Baghel this morning. If someone is trying to stop Congress in Punjab through this conspiracy, then it is a misunderstanding.”
The ED claims the scam operated between 2019 and 2022, and involved systematic manipulation of the state’s liquor supply chain. A cartel allegedly controlled sales through government-run shops, under-reporting stock and accepting bribes from suppliers to allow unregulated sales outside the official system.
The investigation is based on findings from an earlier Income Tax Department report that flagged serious irregularities in the liquor business. So far, the ED has arrested several key individuals in the case, including senior IAS officer Anil Tuteja and liquor trader Anwar Dhebar, brother of the Mayor of Raipur.
(With agency inputs)
