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Written by: Ravi Bhoi / The News Dose.Com
Raipur: The Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offence Wing (ACB/EOW) has alleged that Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, received between Rs 200 crore and Rs 250 crore as his share in the multi-crore liquor scam that allegedly operated during the previous Congress government in the state.
In its seventh supplementary chargesheet, filed before a special court , the ACB/EOW named Chaitanya Baghel as an accused, claiming he played a central role in establishing, coordinating and protecting an extortion syndicate within the Excise Department between 2019 and 2023. The chargesheet, spanning around 3,800 pages, pegs the scam at over Rs 3,000 crore, taking the total number of chargesheets in the case to eight.
According to the agency, Chaitanya Baghel acted as a key coordinator between senior bureaucrats — including Anil Tuteja, Soumya Chaurasia, Arunpati Tripathi and Niranjan Das — and ground-level operatives such as Anwar Dhebar, Arvind Singh and Vikas Agarwal. The chargesheet claims he issued instructions to members of the syndicate and facilitated administrative and policy-level protection that allowed the racket to function over an extended period.
The ACB/EOW alleged that proceeds of crime collected by Anwar Dhebar’s network were routed upward through Chaitanya Baghel, who managed and redistributed the funds. It claimed that his share was channelled through firms linked to liquor businessman Trilok Singh Dhillon, moved via banking channels to family-controlled entities, and invested in real estate projects. The agency further alleged that large sums were also routed through family members, friends and associates.
“Evidence indicates that Chaitanya Baghel received approximately Rs 200–250 crore as his share while managing the proceeds of crime at a higher level,” the chargesheet stated. It added that the total proceeds of crime could exceed Rs 3,500 crore as investigations continue.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the money-laundering angle, had arrested Chaitanya Baghel on July 18 following searches at his residence in Bhilai. Earlier, the ED claimed he handled proceeds of crime worth over Rs 1,000 crore. The ACB/EOW arrested him again in September while he was in judicial custody.
The alleged scam involved illegal collections from every bottle of liquor sold in Chhattisgarh between 2019 and 2022, causing what the ED termed a “massive loss” to the state exchequer. Several high-profile arrests have already been made, including former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, businessman Anwar Dhebar, retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, and ITS officer Arunpati Tripathi. Following his son’s arrest, former CM Bhupesh Baghel has denied the allegations, claiming probe agencies are being misused to target Opposition leaders, and linked the action to the Congress government’s stance against forest cutting and mining during its tenure.
