ED raids Bhupesh Baghel’s son’s residence and hideouts in alleged liquor scam case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the house of Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, on Monday morning (March 10). The central investigating agency raided 14 places across the state, including Chaitanya Baghel’s hideouts. The action was taken in connection with an alleged liquor scam linked to a money laundering case in the state, reports said.

#WATCH | Chhattisgarh | Enforcement Directorate (ED) is conducting searches at the residence of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel’s son in an ongoing money laundering case. ED is conducting raids at 14 locations in Chhattisgarh in connection… pic.twitter.com/sjw9ls0kia

— ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2025

The ED searched the premises of Chaitanya in Bhillai (Durg district),l, Laxmi Narayan Bansal alias Pappu Bansal, an alleged close associate of Chaitanya, and some others, reports said.
Chaitanya shares the Bhillai accommodation with his father and hence the premises are being covered.
After this early morning raid, there has been a stir in the politics of the entire state, including Raipur. The report said that many ED teams are raiding different places simultaneously, and during this time, many important documents and digital data are being investigated.

Former CM Baghel posted on X, “When the false case going on for seven years was dismissed in the court, today the guests of ED have entered the Bhilai residence of former Chief Minister, Congress General Secretary Bhupesh Baghel this morning. If someone is trying to stop Congress in Punjab through this conspiracy, then it is a misunderstanding.”

सात वर्षों से चले आ रहे झूठे केस को जब अदालत में बर्खास्त कर दिया गया तो आज ED के मेहमानों ने पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री, कांग्रेस महासचिव भूपेश बघेल के भिलाई निवास में आज सुबह प्रवेश किया है.

अगर इस षड्यंत्र से कोई पंजाब में कांग्रेस को रोकने का प्रयास कर रहा है, तो यह गलतफहमी है.

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— Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) March 10, 2025

The ED said earlier that the Chhattisgarh liquor “scam” resulted in “massive loss” to the state exchequer and filled the pockets of the beneficiaries of a liquor syndicate with more than Rs 2,100 crore of proceeds of crime.

The ED had arrested former minister and Congress leader Kawasi Lakhma in this case in January apart from Anwar Dhebar, the elder brother of Raipur Mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar, former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer Arunpati Tripathi and some others as part of this investigation.

With inputs from PTI