Chhattisgarh liquor scam accused remanded in 14-day judicial custody

The federal agency had claimed that it has “collected evidence of unprecedented corruption and money laundering to the tune of ₹2,000 crore between 2019 and 2022”

A session court in Raipur on Friday sent liquor businessman Anwar Dhebar and Nitesh Purohit to 14 days in judicial custody in a money laundering case linked to the alleged ₹2,000 crore liquor scam in Chhattisgarh.

The ED in the remand application stated the sale of unaccounted illicit liquor was almost 30-40% of the total sale of liquor in the state (Representative Photo)

The court of additional district and session judge Ajay Singh Rajput also extended the Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody of Arunpati Tripathi, special secretary of state’s excise department, and Trilok Singh Dhillon alias Pappu for four days.

ED’s advocate Saurabh Pandey said that the court sent Dhebar and Purohit to 14 days in judicial custody while the ED custody of Tripathi and Dhillon was extended till May 23.

All four were produced in court after the expiry of their ED custody, he said.

Anwar is the brother of Raipur Mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar and was arrested on May 6.

Purohit, the promoter of Giriraj Hotel located in the state capital Raipur, Dhillon, a liquor businessman, and Tripathi, an Indian Telecom Services officer posted in the excise department on deputation, were also arrested in May.

The ED in its remand application for Anwar, who was produced before the court on Saturday, also claimed that IAS officer Anil Tuteja, who is joint secretary in the Department of Industry and Commerce, was the kingpin of this illegal syndicate along with Anwar.

The ED in the remand application had stated the sale of unaccounted illicit liquor was almost 30-40% of the total sale of liquor in the state.

The agency had claimed that it has unearthed corruption and money laundering of multi-crore by a syndicate comprising high-level state government officials, private persons and political executives of the state government who controlled and manipulated the entire chain of the liquor trade in the state.

The federal agency had claimed that it has “collected evidence of unprecedented corruption and money laundering to the tune of ₹2,000 crore between 2019 and 2022”.

Raids were carried out earlier in March in the case. The ED probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) is based on an Income Tax department charge sheet filed in May 2022.