In a major crackdown, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally seized immovable properties valued at a staggering Rs 38.21 crore linked to former IAS officer Niranjan Das and thirty other excise officials. This action is part of the ongoing probe into the multi-crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam, which the agency alleges represents a "systematic capture" of the state's excise machinery between 2019 and 2023.
Scale of the Attachment and Alleged Scam
In an official statement released on Monday, the federal anti-money laundering agency detailed the scale of its action. The attachments, made under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, encompass a wide array of high-value assets. These include 78 immovable properties such as luxury bungalows, premium apartments, commercial plots, resorts, and agricultural land. Additionally, the ED has seized 197 movable assets, including fixed deposits, bank balances, life insurance policies, and equity portfolios.
The agency estimates that the alleged manipulation of the state's liquor policy caused a massive loss of more than Rs 2,800 crore to the state exchequer. A supplementary prosecution complaint filed before the special PMLA court on December 26 provided a precise figure, stating the scam generated illicit proceeds of Rs 2,883 crore.
Key Accused and Their Alleged Roles
The ED's latest complaint has added 59 new names, bringing the total number of arraigned individuals and entities to 81. Among the senior bureaucrats named are Anil Tuteja, a former IAS officer who served as joint secretary, and Niranjan Das, the former excise commissioner. The probe agency claims both played "central roles" in manipulating the excise policy and ensuring operational control for the alleged syndicate.
According to the ED's findings, Niranjan Das alone earned over Rs 18 crore in illegal commissions. The collective illegal earnings of the 31 excise officers implicated in the case are estimated at a whopping Rs 89.56 crore.
Political Figures Implicated in the Case
The net of the investigation has also ensnared prominent political figures. The ED has named Kawasi Lakhma, a six-time Congress MLA and the former excise minister of Chhattisgarh, in its complaint. Furthermore, Chaitanya Baghel, the son of the then Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, has also been named in connection with the sprawling scam.
This development marks a significant escalation in the probe, linking the alleged bureaucratic corruption directly to the state's political executive during the period under scrutiny. The ED's actions underscore its focus on tracing the entire chain of command and the flow of illicit money in what it describes as a deeply entrenched system of graft.
