The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has made another arrest in the Chhattisgarh liquor scam. ED’s Raipur zonal team has arrested IAS officer Niranjan Das on Friday (December 19, 2025). After this, he was presented in the PMLA special court of the capital Raipur, where the court approved ED custody for three days.

ED had started this investigation on the basis of FIR registered by ACB/EOW Raipur. Investigation by police and investigative agencies revealed that the Chhattisgarh liquor scam caused huge loss to the state government. According to the investigation, this scam generated illegal earnings of more than Rs 2,500 crore, which was distributed to different people.

What was revealed in the agency’s investigation?

ED investigation also revealed that Niranjan Das received illegal money of about Rs 18 crore. Digital evidence, seized documents and written statements have made it clear that he was an active part of the liquor syndicate. The investigating agency says that their role in carrying out the scam was not limited to mere information, rather they were directly misusing the system.

A big revelation in the investigation was that Niranjan Das was deliberately given the additional charge of Excise Commissioner and Secretary of the Excise Department, so that the liquor scam could be run easily. The allegation is that he ignored his legal responsibilities and allowed open plunder of government revenue.

In return he used to get an amount of Rs 50 lakh every month. According to the ED, he used to instruct field officers to increase the sale of raw and unaccounted illicit liquor in their respective areas.

Role of IAS officer in illegal earning and money laundering

ED says that the role of Niranjan Das was not limited only to the original crime, but he also played an important role in laundering illegal earnings. It was because of him that such huge plunder of the state’s resources became possible.

Many accused arrested in the case

Niranjan Das is not the only accused in this case. ED has earlier arrested Anil Tuteja (former IAS), Arvind Singh, Trilok Singh Dhillon, Anwar Dhebar, Arun Pati Tripathi (ITS), Kawasi Lakhma (then Excise Minister and MLA), Chaitanya Baghel (son of former Chief Minister) and Soumya Chaurasia. ED has made it clear that the investigation is still going on and more big names related to this scam may come to light in the coming days.

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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.

Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, was produced by the ED on Friday (July 18) in a money laundering case related to the alleged liquor scam in the PMLA court, from where the court sent him on 5 -day ED remand. Earlier, he was arrested on Friday after a raid.

The ED sought his five -day remand in the court. He was detained under the Anti -Minor Act (PMLA) after Red at Chaitanya Baghel’s house in Bhilai city of Durg district.

Chaitanya Baghel was arrested under Section 19 of the Anti -Money Laundering Act. According to sources, Chaitanya was not allegedly cooperating during the raid after getting new evidence in the case. At the same time, a large number of policemen were present outside the house during the raid. Some party supporters were also gathered there.

Earlier, the ED claimed that Chaitanya Baghel was suspected to be the ‘recipient’ of income received from the alleged liquor scam. The agency also said that as a result of the ‘scam’, the state treasury suffered ‘heavy loss’ and the beneficiaries of the liquor syndicate lost more than Rs 2,100 crore.

In Chhattisgarh, in the liquor scam of Rs 3200 crore, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was raided at the house of former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel. ED has arrested Chaitanya Baghel, son of Bhupesh Baghel.

Who is Chaitanya Baghel?
Chaitanya Baghel is the son of former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel. Chaitanya is also associated with the Congress, but has not yet stepped into politics. He currently has no post. Between 2018 and 2023, when Bhupesh Baghel used to be the Chief Minister, Chaitanya Baghel was planning to enter politics, but then the Congress government did not return in the 2024 assembly elections.

In the Lok Sabha elections, when Bhupesh Baghel was given a ticket from Rajnandgaon seat by the Congress, there was speculation that Chaitanya would get a ticket on his assembly seat Patan. However, this could not happen after Bhupesh Baghel’s defeat. Earlier, Chaitanya Baghel was associated with real estate. Now family farming is being handled.

Why did ED target Chaitanya Baghel?
Former Excise Minister and Kota MLA Kavasi Lakhma has been arrested in the liquor scam case of Chhattisgarh. At the same time, the Enforcement Directorate has also taken action on the former IAS officer Anil Tuteja and former MD of Excise Department. The ED has allegedly found out that the money of the liquor scam has been invested in the property of Chaitanya Baghel and his close ones.

What is Chhattisgarh liquor scam?
During Bhupesh Baghel’s Chief Minister’s tenure (year 2018-23), a liquor scam of about Rs 3200 crore was revealed in Chhattisgarh. It was alleged that the officials bought property in the name of their relatives for hundreds of crores of scam. It was told in the charge sheet that the accused have sold 61 lakh illegal boxes of liquor.