Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel, during its continuing investigation into the state's multi-crore liquor scam.
The arrest comes shortly after ED officials raided the Baghel residence at Bhilai in Durg district—a shared abode for both father and son.
Chaitanya is also in the dock in connection with the claimed Rs 2,161 crore liquor scandal. Sources state that he was arrested under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after allegedly not cooperating during searches prompted by fresh evidence.
Security around the property was increased with a large number of police personnel placed outside. Some of the Baghel family supporters were also spotted congregating near the property. It happened to be the birthday of Chaitanya, as mentioned by Bhupesh Baghel himself, on the day of his arrest.
The ED has recognized former Congress minister Kawasi Lakhma as the main mastermind behind the scam. Investigations indicate that between 2019 and 2022, Lakhma supposedly obtained huge amounts in cash on a regular basis, drawn from proceeds of crime (POC) earned by illicit commissions on liquor sales.
The agency had previously said Chaitanya Baghel was suspected to be among the beneficiaries of the illegal revenues gained through the suspected syndicate, which is suspected to have inflicted huge financial loss to the treasury of the state. The scam is said to have enriched the members of the liquor network by more than Rs 2,100 crore.
In January, ED had arrested a number of people during the same inquiry, including Congress leader and former minister Kawasi Lakhma, Anwar Dhebar—brother of Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, and Arunpati Tripathi, an Indian Telecom Service officer among others.
In 2024, the Supreme Court quashed the ED's first ECIR (equivalent to an FIR) based on a complaint initially filed by the Income Tax Department. The agency later directed the Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to file a new FIR based on fresh material provided by the ED.
The EOW/ACB filed this FIR on January 17 last year just after the BJP toppled the Congress government in the 2023 state election. The complaint had around 70 individuals and entities, including Lakhma and ex-Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand.
As ED reports, the ill-gotten liquor money was shared "according to directions from the highest political administrators of the state," emphasizing the involvement of the top brass in the scam.
