Ranchi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has officially entered the probe into the multi-crore Jharkhand liquor scam, intensifying the investigation into what is seen as one of the state’s biggest corruption cases in recent years.
Acting on the FIR earlier lodged by the Jharkhand Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), the ED has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR No 10/2025) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The agency has also secured permission from the special PMLA court in Ranchi to interrogate and record statements of the accused who were arrested by the ACB earlier this year.
The ACB had filed its FIR in May this year after a preliminary probe unearthed large-scale irregularities in the state’s liquor supply and distribution system.
More than a dozen persons, including several senior bureaucrats, were named in the case. Those arrested earlier this year include IAS officer Vinay Kumar Chaubey, retired IAS officer Amit Prakash, Jharkhand Administrative Service officer Gajendra Singh, Chhattisgarh-based businessman Siddharth Singhania, and Vidhu Gupta, director of a private company.
However, all accused were later granted bail after the ACB failed to submit a charge sheet within the stipulated time. So far, four IAS officers have been questioned in connection with the scam.
According to investigators, the state government had awarded contracts for running liquor shops and providing manpower to seven placement agencies. The ACB found that these agencies allegedly violated tender norms on a massive scale, causing substantial revenue losses. Several bank guarantees submitted during the bidding process were later found to be fake.
An internal audit by the Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited pegged the financial loss to the state exchequer at Rs 129.55 crore, attributing it to widespread fraud and manipulation in liquor operations.
With the ED now probing the money-laundering angle, officials believe the investigation may uncover a larger network of beneficiaries and financial trails linked to the alleged scam.
(IANS)
