On Tuesday, the Enforcement Directorate conducted raids against IAS Vinay Chaubey, former Excise Department Secretary, and others in connection with an alleged liquor scam case in Jharkhand’s Ranchi.
ED is conducting raids on the basis of FIR filed against Chaubey in the Chhattisgarh liquor scam case. In September, Chhattisgarh’s anti-corruption bureau and Economic Offence Wing filed an FIR against a syndicate comprising seven individuals, including Vinay Kumar Chaubey for allegedly causing a loss to the exchequer by altering the state’s liquor policy.
Earlier in August, ED in Raipur had arrested two people under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the ongoing money laundering investigation into the liquor scam in Chhattisgarh.
ED initiated a fresh investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau and Economic Offences Wing of Chhattisgarh under various sections of the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act in the matter of a liquor scam in the State of Chhattisgarh.
ED during its investigation into the case claimed that the said scam was being operated by a cartel composed of bureaucrats, private liquor suppliers, government officials and persons with heavy political backing in the state between the year 20 19 to 2022 under the previous regime.
The agency’s investigation into the case had further revealed that an organized criminal syndicate led by Anwar Dhebar, one of the key accused in the case was operating in the state with the support of senior officials of the state government.
Based on the ED’s initial probe, the EOW filed a separate FIR against as many as 70 people including of businessmen, leaders of the Congress party, and a few state officials, in connection with the scam in January this year. The agency apprehended Anwar Dhebar, Arvind Singh and Arun Pati Tripathi, all accused in the multi-crore scam.
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