In a bold escalation against Chhattisgarh’s multi-crore liquor syndicate, the Enforcement Directorate struck 13 locations on April 30, confiscating 5.39 crore rupees worth of cash and gold. Raids in Raipur, Durg/Bhilai, and Bilaspur focused on suspects handling or concealing illicit gains from the 2019-2022 scam, which allegedly siphoned 2,883 crore rupees through rigged liquor deals.
Teams recovered 53 lakh in hard cash and gold assets valued at 4.86 crore, plus damning papers and gadgets. Triggered by EOW and ACB FIRs, the probe reveals orchestrated criminality tying top officials to booze barons. Nine arrests under PMLA include heavyweights like a retired IAS, CSMC MD, Excise Commissioner, Minister, CM’s son, and aide.
The operation dissects a nexus of manufacturers, money movers, hawala networks, licensees, and political brokers. Six PAOs have locked 380 crore in assets—homes, offices, accounts, cars, bling, shares—many upheld by Delhi’s authority. Six charge sheets name 81 targets, with trials in special courts, HC, and SC.
These seizures unearth new leads, paving way for further raids and prosecutions. As ED tightens the noose, Chhattisgarh’s underbelly of graft faces unprecedented reckoning, underscoring the agency’s resolve to dismantle money laundering empires.
