In July of last year, the ED filed a charge sheet in the case, alleging that "political executives" received Rs. 776 crore of the Rs. 2,161 crore that Dhebar, the primary accused, acquired in the Chhattisgarh liquor scam.
In relation to the alleged liquor scam discovered during the previous Congress-led government in the state, Chhattisgarh's Economic Offence Wing (EOW)/Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) raided 13 locations on Sunday, including those of two former IAS officers, an excise officer, and a few businessmen, according to a statement released by the state government.The notification further stated that the action included a businessman's property in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
The statements states that the raids targeted the homes of retired IAS officers Vivek Dhand, the former chief secretary, Anil Tuteja, the secretary of commerce and industry, Niranjan Das, the commissioner of the excise department, Ashok Kumar Singh, the excise officer, businessman Anwar Dhebar (brother of Congress leader and mayor of Raipur Aijaz Dhebar), Arvind Singh, and Siddarth Singhania in Raipur.
As per the officials, 70 individuals, including senior leaders of Congress, and companies have been listed in the first information report that was filed on January 18th, based on the complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The FIR was lodged under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1988/Amended Act 2018 and the Indian Penal Code, they said.
The statement further reads that the raids covered the premises of the then special secretary of the excise department and managing director of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited – Arunpati Tripathi (Indian Telecom Service officer) in Durg district, then assistant commissioner of excise department Korba Saurabh Bakshi in Korba district, businessman Rajendra Jaiswal of M/s Welcome Distilleries and Bhupendra Pal Singh Bhatia of M/s Bhatia Wine Merchant in Bilaspur district and Naveen Kedia of M/s Chhattisgarh Distillery Limited in Kumhari area (Durg).
Besides, the raid was also launched at M/s Prism Hologram and Security Private Limited of Vidhu Gupta in Greater Noida, it said. The search in premises of these suspects is still underway, it added.
When the ED began investigating the irregularities, Dhebar "abruptly" halted, according to the ED, despite having decided to reproduce the same corruption model in Jharkhand as well.
In its complaint to the ACB/EOW, the ED stated that certain high-ranking officials had engaged in criminal activity in collusion with powerful and private individuals in order to defraud the state government of funds and profit illegally from the liquor trade.
The ED stated that the results of their investigation showed the existence of a criminal gang in Chhattisgarh that was involved in the unlawful sale of unaccounted booze through official liquor stores and was also extorting illegal commissions in the sale of alcohol.