Bhupesh Baghel's son Chaitanya sent to 5-day ED custody in liquor scam case

Chaitanya Bhaghel was arrested by ED officials on Friday from his residence in Chhattisgarh's Bhilai following an early morning raid.

Updated on: Jul 18, 2025, 16:32:08 IST

By HT News Desk

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Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel's son Chaitanya Baghel has been sent to Enforcement Directorate's custody for five days in liquor 'scam' case by Raipur court, news agency PTI reported citing officials.

Bhupesh Baghel's son Chaitanya Baghel is a businessman and was not actively involved in politics. (Screengrab/X/ANI)

Chaitanya was arrested by ED officials on Friday from his residence in Chhattisgarh's Bhilai on his birthday following an early morning raid. He was arrested in connection with ED's money laundering probe linked to the Chhattisgarh's liquor policy.

Bhupesh Baghel on son's arrest

Reacting to his son's arrest, Bhupesh Baghel said Chaitanya has been arrested by the probe agency on his birthday today, like in 2023, his advisor was arrested on his (Bhupesh Baghel) birthday. He claimed that the raids were conducted by the ED on behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah because there was a discussion scheduled in the state assembly on industrialist Gautam Adani today.

“First, they targeted Kawasi Lakhma, then Devendra Yadav, and now they are targeting my son, so that no one can raise their voice against Adani,” Bhupesh Baghel said.

Why was Chaitanya Baghel arrested

Chaitanya Baghel's arrested and five-day custody comes as a major development in ED's ongoing probe into suspected irregularities during Bhupesh Baghel’s tenure as Chhattisgarh chief minister from 2018-23.

The scam allegedly involves criminal proceeds of around a whopping ₹1,000 crore, according to people aware of the matter. The ED suspects that some of the money was laundered through real estate companies connected to Chaitanya and his associates.

The case is based on an FIR filed by the Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which named 70 people and companies, including former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, for their alleged roles in the liquor scam.

Chaitanya Baghel is a businessman and was not actively involved in politics. He was looking after his family's vegetable farm, reported Indian Express earlier this year.

Earlier, he was involved in the real estate business, the report added.

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