New Delhi, Jul 21 (PTI) Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, “handled” more than Rs 1,000 crore worth of “proceeds of crime” generated from a liquor “scam” in the state and used Rs 16.7 crore for the development of his real estate project, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged on Monday.
The businessman was arrested by the federal probe agency at his house in Bhilai’s Mansarovar Colony on July 18, his 38th birthday. The arrest came after the agency raided the house, which Chaitanya shares with his father.
Chaitnaya was, on the same day, sent to ED custody for 5 days by a Raipur court, and he is expected to be produced before the same court on Tuesday.
“Chaitanya Baghel was in receipt of proceeds of crime worth Rs 16.70 crore. He had used his real estate firms to intermingle the said funds.
“It was found that he had utilised the said cash amount (proceeds of crime) in development of his real estate project,” the agency claimed in a statement.
Senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel has alleged that central agencies were being misused to target opposition leaders, but stressed that he trusted the judiciary and would cooperate with them.
The former CM on Monday alleged that the ED action against his son was initiated to divert attention from the “illegal tree felling” in the state as the Congress was set to raise the issue in the Assembly.
The ED statement alleged that the use of proceeds was designed by way of “payment in cash” to contractors of Chaitanya Bhaghel’s project, bank entries against cash, etc.
The agency said the junior Baghel “colluded” with a local businessman named Trilok Singh Dhillon and “utilised” his companies to devise a scheme under which he “indirectly” received Rs 5 crore in the guise of purchase of flats in his “Vitthalpuram Project” in the name of employees of Dhillon.
“There is banking trail which indicates that during the relevant period of transactions, Trilok Singh Dhillon received payments from the liquor syndicate in his bank accounts,” the ED said.
The agency further alleged that Chaitanya Baghel “handled” more than Rs 1,000 crore worth of “proceeds of crime” generated out of the liquor scam.
“He used to coordinate with Anwar Dhebar (the elder brother of Raipur Mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar) and others for transfer of proceeds of crime to the then treasurer of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee.” “Investigation conducted by ED has revealed that the funds out of this liquor scam were also handed over to key associates of Baghel family for further investments. The end utilisation of this fund is being probed further,” it said.
The ED has said that the alleged scam resulted in a “massive loss” to the state exchequer and filled the pockets of the beneficiaries of a liquor syndicate with over Rs 2,100 crore.
The “scam” in the central Indian state, according to the ED, was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when Chhattisgarh was governed by the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government.
The ED in January arrested former minister and Congress leader Kawasi Lakhma, besides Anwar Dhebar, former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer Arunpati Tripathi and some others as part of their investigations in the case.
The EOW/ACB registered the FIR on January 17 last year, about a month after the BJP defeated the incumbent Congress government in the 2023 assembly polls, and named 70 individuals and companies, including former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma and former chief secretary Vivek Dhand.
According to the ED, the alleged commission generated through the illegal sale of liquor was shared “as per the directions from the highest political executives of the state”. PTI NES RT
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