Raipur: Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, allegedly received between Rs 200 crore and Rs 250 crore as his share in the state’s liquor scam, the Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offence Wing (ACB/EOW) has claimed in its latest chargesheet.

In its seventh supplementary chargesheet filed before a special court in Raipur on Monday, the state police’s ACB/EOW alleged that Chaitanya Baghel played a key role in establishing, coordinating and protecting an extortion syndicate within the excise department during the previous Congress government’s tenure from 2018 to 2023.

The chargesheet, running to around 3,800 pages, has named Chaitanya Baghel as an accused in the alleged liquor scam, which investigators have pegged at over Rs 3,000 crore, according to an ACB/EOW statement. With this filing, a total of eight chargesheets have now been submitted in the case.

Quoting the chargesheet, the ACB/EOW said Chaitanya Baghel acted as a coordinator between senior officials such as Anil Tuteja, Soumya Chaurasia, Arunpati Tripathi and Niranjan Das, and ground-level operatives including Anwar Dhebar, Arvind Singh and Vikas Agarwal, all co-accused in the case. He allegedly issued instructions to ensure the syndicate’s interests were protected at both administrative and operational levels.

Investigators claimed he worked through trusted associates to transfer and manage scam proceeds collected by businessman Anwar Dhebar’s team, moving the funds up the chain.

According to the chargesheet, Chaitanya Baghel allegedly received his share of the proceeds through firms owned by liquor businessman Trilok Singh Dhillon. The money was reportedly routed through banking channels to family firms and invested in real estate projects.

The document further claimed that he received and invested large sums generated from the alleged scam through banking channels using family members, friends and associates.

The probe agency stated, “Evidence indicates that Chaitanya, along with managing the proceeds of the crime at a higher level, received around Rs 200 crore–Rs 250 crore as his share.”

Scale of the alleged scam

The investigation has claimed that high-level protection, policy and administrative intervention, and influence allegedly provided by Chaitanya Baghel enabled the syndicate to operate for an extended period.

The chargesheet said the amount involved in the liquor scam is currently estimated at around Rs 3,074 crore, adding that further investigation suggests the total proceeds of crime could exceed Rs 3,500 crore.

ED probe and earlier arrests

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the money laundering angle, arrested Chaitanya Baghel on July 18 following searches at his residence in Bhilai town of Durg district, which he shares with his father, a Congress politician.

As per the ED’s prosecution complaint filed earlier, Chaitanya Baghel “handled” over Rs 1,000 crore worth of “proceeds of crime” generated from the liquor “scam”. The central agency has said the alleged racket caused a “massive loss” to the state exchequer while benefiting members of a liquor syndicate.

The ED has alleged that money was “illegally” collected from “every” bottle of liquor sold in Chhattisgarh between 2019 and 2022, a period when Bhupesh Baghel headed the Congress government.

Chaitanya Baghel was later arrested by the ACB/EOW in September while he was already in judicial custody.

Other accused and FIR details

In January, the ED arrested former excise minister and Congress leader Kawasi Lakhma, businessman Anwar Dhebar, former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Indian Telecom Service officer Arunpati Tripathi and others as part of its investigation.

The EOW/ACB registered an FIR on January 17, 2024, naming 70 individuals and companies, including Lakhma and former chief secretary Vivek Dhand.

Bhupesh Baghel’s response

After his son’s arrest, former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel claimed the action was taken because the Congress government had attempted to stop forest cutting and mining activities in the state. He also alleged that central probe agencies were being misused to target Opposition leaders.