Raipur: The Enforcement Directorate (ED), Raipur Zonal Office, has provisionally attached assets worth ₹61.20 crore belonging to Chaitanya Baghel under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The action comes in connection with the ongoing probe into the multi‑crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam.
According to officials, the attached properties include 364 residential plots and agricultural lands valued at ₹59.96 crore, along with bank balances and fixed deposits worth ₹1.24 crore.
The attachment follows investigations initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the Anti‑Corruption Bureau/Economic Offences Wing (ACB/EOW), Raipur, under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Police investigations earlier revealed that the liquor scam inflicted massive losses on the state exchequer, while generating more than ₹2,500 crore in proceeds of crime (POC) for beneficiaries.
The ED’s probe under PMLA established that Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, occupied a central role in the syndicate.
Positioned at its apex, he allegedly acted as the controller and ultimate authority, overseeing the accounts of illicit funds.
Major decisions regarding collection, channelization, and distribution of POC were reportedly taken under his directions.
The ED further found that Baghel received POC which he layered through his real estate ventures, projecting them as legitimate assets.
Investigators stated that funds from the liquor scam were utilised in developing his real estate project ‘Vitthal Green’ under his proprietorship concern, M/s Baghel Developers.
Baghel was arrested by the ED on July 18, 2025, and remains in judicial custody. This latest attachment of ₹61.20 crore adds to earlier seizures of immovable properties valued at approximately ₹215 crore, marking a significant step in the agency’s efforts to dismantle the financial network behind the scam.
The case has already seen the arrest of several high‑profile individuals, including former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Arvind Singh, Trilok Singh Dhillon, Anwar Dhebar, Arun Pati Tripathi (ITS), and Kawasi Lakhma, MLA and then Excise Minister of Chhattisgarh.
The ED emphasised that investigations are ongoing and further action may follow as the agency continues to trace and attach assets linked to the POC in the state’s largest liquor scandal.
(IANS)
