The Enforcement Directorate on Friday arrested Chaitanya Baghel, the son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in a liquor scam case, The Indian Express reported.

He was arrested following searches by the central agency at their home in Durg district’s Bhilai under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act based on the receipt of fresh evidence in the case, an unidentified official told PTI.

The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that a syndicate of state government officials, politicians and others conspired to ensure that a state-run company procured country liquor only from distributors who would pay a commission of Rs 75 per case.

It alleged that the syndicate pocketed more than Rs 2,000 crore that would have otherwise gone to the state exchequer between 2019 and 2022.

Chhattisgarh was ruled by the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government between 2018 and 2023, when the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in the state.

The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that Chaitanya Baghel received proceeds of crime generated from the bootlegging of alcohol.

In a social media post on Friday morning, Bhupesh Baghel confirmed that the central agency was conducting searches.

The Congress leader claimed that the action was being taken in an attempt to stop him from raising questions in the Assembly about the trees being allegedly felled by the Adani Group.

“Today is the last day of the state legislative [monsoon] session,” the Patan MLA said on X. “The issue of trees being felled for Adani in Tamnar was scheduled to be raised [in the House]. ‘Saheb’ has sent ED to Bhilai residence.”

The former chief minister was referring to the protests by the residents of Tamnar tehsil in Raigarh district against the felling of trees for a coal mine project in the area, The Hindu reported.

The mine was allotted to Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited, which contracted the Adani Group to develop and operate it.

Earlier in July, Bhupesh Baghel had visited Tamnar to support the protesters, the newspaper reported.

The liquor scam

The Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau registered a first information report in the alleged liquor scam in January 2024 based on the Enforcement Directorate’s complaints.

The FIR accused 70 persons of involvement in the alleged scam, including former state excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, Indian Administrative Service officer Anil Tuteja and Special Secretary Arun Pati Tripathi.

They have been charged with corruption, cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Lakhma, a six-time MLA from Konta in Sukma district, was arrested in the case by the central agency in January.

The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that Anwar Dhebar, brother of Raipur mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar, orchestrated the scam. Although the Enforcement Directorate had filed a prosecution complaint last year, Lakhma and others were linked to the case in the latest FIR.

In March, searches were conducted in 14 locations in Durg district linked to Chaitanya Baghel.