The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday searched the residence of Congress leader Ram Gopal Agrawal in Chhattisgarh’s Dhamtari district, days after arresting him in connection with a money-laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the state’s liquor trade, officials said.
The search was conducted at Agrawal’s residence in the Audyogik Ward area of Dhamtari. A large number of Congress leaders and workers, including Dhamtari MLA Omkar Sahu, gathered outside the house and staged a protest against the ED action. The protesters raised slogans against the central government and the probe agency.
The ED also carried out searches at a few other locations in Raipur, although officials did not immediately confirm the case in connection with which those searches were being conducted.
Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee president Deepak Baij, speaking to reporters in Raipur, alleged that central probe agencies were being used to intimidate opposition leaders.
“ED and CBI action in Chhattisgarh is no longer a new thing. ED, CBI, Income Tax and other agencies have made it a routine to target and intimidate opposition leaders,” Baij alleged.
He questioned the need for a search of Agrawal’s residence when the Congress leader was already in ED custody and being questioned. “This is nothing new for us. Opposition leaders are being targeted and raids are being conducted to scare and threaten them,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}He questioned the need for a search of Agrawal’s residence when the Congress leader was already in ED custody and being questioned. “This is nothing new for us. Opposition leaders are being targeted and raids are being conducted to scare and threaten them,” he said.
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Agrawal was arrested by the state’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) last month in connection with the alleged coal levy scam and was also being questioned in cases related to the alleged liquor scam and rice custom milling, officials said.
The ED arrested Agrawal on August 11 in connection with its money-laundering investigation into the alleged liquor scam while he was in jail as an undertrial in the EOW case.
According to the ED, the alleged liquor scam took place between 2019 and 2022, when Chhattisgarh was governed by a Congress government led by then chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. The agency has alleged that a “criminal” syndicate involving senior bureaucrats and political figures had “completely hijacked” the state excise department, causing an estimated loss of ₹2,883 crore to the state exchequer.
The ED has so far filed six chargesheets and named 81 accused in the case. Those named include former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, Chaitanya Baghel, son of former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, former Chhattisgarh excise commissioner Niranjan Das, retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja and former deputy secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office Saumya Chaurasia.
The EOW has claimed that the proceeds of crime linked to the alleged liquor scam could exceed ₹3,500 crore.