Enforcement Directorate seizes documents at ex‑PCPC treasurer’s residence amid multi‑sector scam investigation

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) intensified its crackdown on alleged financial crimes in Chhattisgarh on Thursday, August 20, 2026, by conducting a thorough search of the Dhamtari house belonging to Ramgopal Agrawal, a former treasurer of the Pradesh Congress Committee. The raid is tied to investigations into a sprawling liquor scam, a coal‑related fraud, and irregularities in customs‑milling operations.

Two ED teams, each comprising roughly eight officers and security personnel, arrived in separate vehicles early in the morning. The officers entered the property, catalogued and seized a range of documents, ledgers, and electronic records, and began a detailed forensic review. No official comment from the ED has been released to date.

Agrawal was previously arrested on August 11, 2026 by the ED’s Raipur zonal office under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money‑Laundering Act (PMLA). He was held in Raipur Central Jail as an under‑trial detainee, later presented before a special PMLA court, which ordered his remand to the ED for further interrogation.

The ED alleges that a syndicate led by retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, former minister Anwar Dheber, and ITS officer Arunpati Tripathi orchestrated illegal activities across the state’s liquor market. The alleged network is said to have amassed approximately ₹3,000 crore through illicit commissions on liquor sales, unaccounted domestic liquor distribution, annual fees from distilleries, and kickbacks from foreign liquor firms and FL‑10A licence allocations.

According to the Directorate, a substantial portion of the illicit proceeds was funneled to Agrawal via the syndicate’s handlers. Statements recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA reportedly detail the cash flow and the mechanisms used for transfer. The Dhamtari operation remains ongoing, and investigators await an official statement from the ED.