By Admin 
In Chhattisgarh, the Anti -Corruption Bureau and Economic Offenses Branch (ACB/EOW) arrested Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and another person Deepend Chavda on Wednesday (24 September). The arrest took place in connection with the alleged liquor scam.
According to officials, both were produced in the Special Court (Prevention of Corruption Act) and the court sent them to the custody of ACB/EOW by 6 October.
The ACB/EOW reported that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him on July 18 after searching him after a search at the house in Bhilai, Chaitanya Baghel. Since then he was in jail in judicial custody. Now after receiving a muscle warrant, he was formally arrested.
Claim of scam in the then Bhupesh government
An FIR was registered in this case in January last year. This liquor scam is believed to be between 2019 and 2022. The scam amount is allegedly over Rs 2,500 crore. At that time, Bhupesh Baghel had a Congress government in Chhattisgarh.
The ED has claimed that Chaitanya Baghel was the head of the syndicate behind the scam and he managed around Rs 1,000 crore personally. Apart from this, he also cooperated in hiding the income of crime and manipulation.
Arrest without evidence- lawyer
Chaitanya’s lawyer Faisal Rizvi said that this arrest has been made only to create pressure and there is no concrete evidence. According to Rizvi, Chaitanya’s name is nowhere in the main and complementary chargesheets recorded. Overall, about 45 people were made accused, but 29 of them were never arrested.
The lawyer also said that he was arrested only after the Chhattisgarh High Court rejected Chaitanya’s anticipatory bail plea. The basis of arrest was told by another accused Laxmi Narayan Bansal in the special court.
ACB/EOW and ED action
ACB/EOW had started an investigation into the matter and has so far collected several documents and evidence. The ED has already arrested former Excise Minister Kavasi Lakhma, former Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand, Anwar Dhebar, IAS Anil Tuteja, ITS officer Arunapati Tripathi and others for this scam.
The ED claims that Syndicate controlled the entire market share by taking commission and bribe from liquor makers in Chhattisgarh. The income received from this was being grabbed by the then officials and Congress party leaders.
Appearance in court
Chaitanya and Dipen were produced in a special court, where the court ordered them to be detained till 6 October. Now the court and investigative agencies are investigating this scam of more than Rs 2,500 crore.