Latest news with #VitthalpuramProject
Hindustan Times
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Chaitanya Baghel handled ₹ 1,000 cr liquor case funds, used ₹ 16.7 cr in biz: ED
NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Monday that Chaitanya Baghel, son of senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, 'handled' over ₹1,000 crore worth of 'proceeds of crime' and used ₹16.7 crore in his realty business when his father was Chhattisgarh chief minister between 2019 and 2022. Raipur: Security personnel and others escort Chaitanya Baghel, in yellow, son of former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Raipur. (PTI FILE PHOTO) Chaitanya was arrested on July 18 from his residence in Bhilai under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is currently being interrogated by ED at its Raipur office. He was remanded in ED custody for five days and is due to be produced before the judge on Tuesday. 'Investigation revealed that Chaitanya Baghel was in receipt of proceeds of crime worth ₹16.70 crore. He had used his real estate firms to intermingle the said funds. It was found that he had utilised the said cash amount (proceeds of crime) in development of his real estate project,' the agency said in a statement on Monday. It alleged that the use of proceeds was designed by way of payment in cash to contractors of Chaitanya Bhaghel's project, and bank entries against cash, among other methods. Baghel. The statement said Chaitanya colluded with a local businessman Trilok Singh Dhillon and utilised his companies to devise a scheme under which he indirectly received ₹5 crore in the guise of purchase of flats in his 'Vitthalpuram Project' in the name of employees of Dhillon. 'There is a banking trail which indicates that during the relevant period of transactions, Trilok Singh Dhillon received payments from the liquor syndicate in his bank accounts,' ED added. The statement further said that Chaitanya Baghel 'handled more than ₹1,000 crore worth of proceeds of crime' generated out of the liquor sale irregularities. 'He used to coordinate with Anwar Dhebar (the elder brother of Raipur mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar) and others for transfer of proceeds of crime to the then treasurer of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee. Investigation conducted by ED has revealed that funds from this liquor scam were also handed over to key associates of Baghel family for further investments. The end utilisation of this fund is being probed further', ED said. The alleged liquor scam in the state, according to officials, involved the illegal sale of approximately unaccounted and duty-evaded liquor worth ₹2,174 crore through state-run liquor outlets, under the protection and coordination of senior excise officials. The ED claimed that alleged irregularities resulted in a massive loss to the state exchequer and filled the pockets of the beneficiaries of a liquor syndicate with over ₹2,100 crore. The alleged irregularities, according to the ED, were orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when Chhattisgarh was governed by the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government. In January this year, ED arrested former minister and Congress leader Kawasi Lakhma, besides Anwar Dhebar, former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer Arunpati Tripathi and some others in this probe. Bhupesh Baghel alleged on Monday that his son's arrest was an attempt to divert attention from the illegal tree felling in the state, as the Congress was set to raise the issue in the assembly. The veteran Congress leader stated that investigative agencies were being misused to target Opposition leaders, but emphasised that he had complete trust in the judiciary.
India.com
19 hours ago
- Politics
- India.com
Congress Calls Chhattisgarh-wide ‘Chakka Jam' Over ED Arrest Of Ex-CM Baghel's Son
The protest, scheduled from 12 noon to 2 pm, will see road blockades across district headquarters, with major highways and commercial intersections targeted for disruption. Senior Congress leaders, including Deepak Baij, Charandas Mahant, TS Singhdeo, and Bhupesh Baghel himself, are expected to lead the agitation. In Raipur, the National Highway near VIP Chowk and Magneto Mall will be blocked, while Dharsiwa will witness a large-scale mobilisation by rural Congress workers. The party has framed the protest as a response to what it calls politically motivated misuse of central agencies to intimidate opposition voices. The ED arrested Chaitanya Baghel on July 18 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, citing his alleged involvement in a liquor scam that reportedly operated between 2019 and 2022. According to the agency, the scam caused a loss of over Rs 2500 crore to the state exchequer. Investigators claim Baghel received Rs 16.70 crore in proceeds of crime, which were funnelled through his real estate ventures. The ED also alleges that Baghel colluded with businessman Trilok Singh Dhillon to disguise illicit funds as legitimate property transactions, including Rs 5 crore routed through flat purchases in the Vitthalpuram Project. Further, the ED has traced over Rs 1000 crore in suspect transactions linked to Baghel and his associates, including coordination with liquor syndicate figures and alleged transfers to the then treasurer of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee. The agency has already arrested several individuals in connection with the case, including former IAS officer Anil Tuteja and former Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma. Congress leaders have dismissed the charges as part of a broader campaign to dismantle the party's leadership in the state and divert attention from resource exploitation issues. Bhupesh Baghel has publicly accused the BJP-led central government of orchestrating the arrest to suppress dissent over environmental concerns. As the ED continues its investigation, the Congress's chakka jam is expected to test both public sentiment and political fault lines in a state already simmering with tension.
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Bhupesh Baghel's son used Rs 16.7-cr liquor 'scam' funds in his realty business, alleges ED
Chaitanya Baghel , son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel , "handled" more than Rs 1,000 crore worth of " proceeds of crime " generated from a liquor "scam" in the state and used Rs 16.7 crore for the development of his real estate project, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged on Monday. The businessman was arrested by the federal probe agency at his house in Bhilai's Mansarovar Colony on July 18, his 38th birthday. The arrest came after the agency raided the house, which Chaitanya shares with his father. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Data Analytics MCA Cybersecurity Product Management Degree healthcare Management MBA Operations Management Digital Marketing Leadership Data Science CXO Data Science Healthcare Design Thinking Artificial Intelligence Technology Public Policy Others Finance others Project Management PGDM Skills you'll gain: Data Analysis & Visualization Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning Business Intelligence & Data-Driven Decision Making Analytics Strategy & Implementation Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Applied Business Analytics Starts on Jun 13, 2024 Get Details Chaitnaya was, on the same day, sent to ED custody for 5 days by a Raipur court, and he is expected to be produced before the same court on Tuesday. "Chaitanya Baghel was in receipt of proceeds of crime worth Rs 16.70 crore. He had used his real estate firms to intermingle the said funds. "It was found that he had utilised the said cash amount (proceeds of crime) in development of his real estate project," the agency claimed in a statement. Live Events Senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel has alleged that central agencies were being misused to target opposition leaders, but stressed that he trusted the judiciary and would cooperate with them. The former CM on Monday alleged that the ED action against his son was initiated to divert attention from the "illegal tree felling" in the state as the Congress was set to raise the issue in the Assembly. The ED statement alleged that the use of proceeds was designed by way of "payment in cash" to contractors of Chaitanya Bhaghel's project, bank entries against cash, etc. The agency said the junior Baghel "colluded" with a local businessman named Trilok Singh Dhillon and "utilised" his companies to devise a scheme under which he "indirectly" received Rs 5 crore in the guise of purchase of flats in his "Vitthalpuram Project" in the name of employees of Dhillon. "There is banking trail which indicates that during the relevant period of transactions, Trilok Singh Dhillon received payments from the liquor syndicate in his bank accounts," the ED said. The agency further alleged that Chaitanya Baghel "handled" more than Rs 1,000 crore worth of "proceeds of crime" generated out of the liquor scam. "He used to coordinate with Anwar Dhebar (the elder brother of Raipur Mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar) and others for transfer of proceeds of crime to the then treasurer of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee." "Investigation conducted by ED has revealed that the funds out of this liquor scam were also handed over to key associates of Baghel family for further investments. The end utilisation of this fund is being probed further," it said. The ED has said that the alleged scam resulted in a "massive loss" to the state exchequer and filled the pockets of the beneficiaries of a liquor syndicate with over Rs 2,100 crore. The "scam" in the central Indian state, according to the ED, was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when Chhattisgarh was governed by the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government. The ED in January arrested former minister and Congress leader Kawasi Lakhma, besides Anwar Dhebar, former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer Arunpati Tripathi and some others as part of their investigations in the case. The EOW/ACB registered the FIR on January 17 last year, about a month after the BJP defeated the incumbent Congress government in the 2023 assembly polls, and named 70 individuals and companies, including former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma and former chief secretary Vivek Dhand. According to the ED, the alleged commission generated through the illegal sale of liquor was shared "as per the directions from the highest political executives of the state".
