Raipur: In a major crackdown on institutional corruption, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Raipur Zonal Office, has issued three Provisional Attachment Orders (PAOs) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The federal agency has provisionally attached properties with a deed value of Rs 200 crore, though their combined market value is estimated to be over Rs 1,000 crore. This sweeping action is directly linked to the multi-crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam, the ED said in a press note.
The ED’s money laundering probe, initiated on the basis of a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the state’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), exposed a massive syndicate that allegedly operated between 2019 and 2023.
Led by Anwar Dhebar and retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, the syndicate allegedly worked in connivance with senior state officials, distillery owners and private entities.
By systematically manipulating the state’s excise machinery through artificially inflating procurement rates, manufacturing illegal unaccounted liquor and extorting hefty commissions through FL-10A licences, the cartel allegedly generated proceeds of crime exceeding Rs 2,883 crore.
The first attachment order targets assets linked to Anwar Dhebar and his financial manager, Vikas Agrawal, who allegedly handled the ground-level collection of commissions.
Under this order, properties valued at Rs 30 crore have been attached. These include assets registered in the names of Agrawal’s family members, multiple plots in Dhebar City Homes in Raipur, and five land parcels allegedly held through benami shell entities, the ED said.
The second attachment order focuses on Hotel Westinn Goa, a premium hotel property located in Anjuna, North Goa.
Registered under M/s Pacifica Hotels India Private Limited, the agency stated that the property was acquired for Rs 110 crore entirely from proceeds of the scam.
The investigation revealed that the unaccounted cash was physically transported to Goa at the instance of Chaitanya Baghel, the agency said.
The third order freezes bank accounts, shares and mutual funds worth Rs 51 crore belonging to three FL-10A licence-holder companies.
These entities were allegedly coerced by the cartel into remitting 50 to 60 per cent of their corporate profits directly to the syndicate.
Simultaneously, the ED filed its sixth supplementary chargesheet before the special court in Raipur, naming four new accused — businessman Vijay Bhatia, T. Bhuneshwar Rao, cash courier Probir Sharma and Nikhil Chandrakar.
This takes the total number of individuals arraigned in the case to 85, with further investigations continuing, the agency said.
(IANS)
