Baghel's son laundered Rs 16.7 crore through shell firms: ED to court
Chaitanya was arrested under Prevention of Money Laundering Act on July 18 (his 38th birthday) following searches at his home.
A PMLA court in Raipur granted five days' remand. Congress functionaries responded to this with a call for statewide 'Aarthik Nakabandi' on July 22. It has planned road blockades, protests, and mineral transport disruption across Chhattisgarh. The protest aligns with the final day of Chaitanya's ED custody and his scheduled production before a PMLA court.
According to ED's remand report, Chaitanya played a 'central and active role' in laundering illegal proceeds from a liquor syndicate that allegedly manipulated Chhattisgarh's excise system from 2019 to 2022. One transaction flagged involved Rs 5 crore funnelled from Saheli Jewellers into a project, Vitthal Green, by Baghel Developers. While project costs were officially declared as Rs 7.14 crore, ED estimates actual expenditure between Rs 13 crore and Rs 15 crore — mostly in cash.
Key witness Pappu Bansal told ED that only Rs 2.62 crore was recorded in payments to the contractor, while Rs 4.2 crore was allegedly paid off the books. On Oct 19, 2020, liquor businessman Trilok Singh Dhillon allegedly paid Rs 5 crore for 19 flats in the same project under employee names.
CM Vishnu Deo Sai defended ED's actions. 'ED doesn't act randomly. It knows what it's doing,' he said Saturday. While ex-CM Baghel accused the Centre of vendetta politics.
'They raided me during Budget session. Now, after Mahant's adjournment notice on Hasdeo forest felling, they've targeted my son,' he said. 'I won't break. Let them jail him — he's strong.'
Baghel alleged a 'selective pattern' of enforcement: 'Nothing happens to Himanta Biswa Sarma, or Suvendu Adhikari, or Ajit Pawar. Those who bow walk free.'
Ex-CM's son arrested to bury the truth, crush people's voice, says Priyanka
Congress' Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday claimed that as former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel was about to raise the issue of govt 'gifting' all the state's forests to industrialist Adani in the assembly, govt arrested his son to pressure him to bury the truth.
The public has understood that these tactics under BJP are aimed at crushing the voice of people but it will not succeed, she said.
'The forests are being destroyed in defiance of PESA Act and NGT directives. Baghel was going to raise the issue in the assembly. To stop him, ED raided his house early in the morning and arrested his son. In past 11 years, the country has understood well that these are methods to suppress opposition. But every Congress worker stands firmly with Baghel,' Priyanka said.
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