Team News Riveting
Raipur, July 18
A special court in Raipur on Friday remanded Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in the custody of Enforcement Directorate (ED) for five days.
Earlier in the day, Chaitanya was arrested by the central agency after a high-voltage drama in connection with the ongoing investigation into the alleged multi-crore liquor scam in the state. A large number of Congress activists gathered outside the residence of Baghel in Bhilai where the ED officials raided in the morning.
The activists staged a vehement protest against the ED action and blocked the vehicle carrying Chaitanya. A heavy police deployment was made in the area to prevent any untoward incident. The security personnel cleared the blockade and paved the way for the ED officials to drive Chaitanya out.
Chaitanya, who was arrested under Section 19 of the anti-money laundering act, is charged in the Rs 2161 crore liquor scam case. The ED officials produced him in the special court that remanded him to federal agency’s custody for five days for further questioning.
The ED had claimed that former Chhattisgarh Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma is the mastermind behind the scam. ED investigation in the liquor scam, which ran between 2019 to 2022, revealed that he received a substantial amount in cash on a monthly basis out of POC generated as illegal commission from liquor scam.
The ED earlier claimed that Chaitanya was suspected to be the “recipient” of the proceeds from the alleged liquor scam. It said that the “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.
In January, ED arrested Lakhma, besides Anwar Dhebar, the elder brother of Raipur Mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar, former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer Arunpati Tripathi and some others as part of this investigation.
