ED attaches ₹100 crore assets in Chhattisgarh liquor scam probe

Assets linked to IAS officers and distilleries seized as ED alleges massive corruption in Chhattisgarh’s excise department

PGurus Newsdesk

December 31, 2025

Liquor scam probe widens as ED targets officials, distilleries

ED alleges criminal syndicate under previous Congress government

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday said it has attached fresh assets worth over ₹100 crore belonging to former Chhattisgarh excise commissioner Niranjan Das, 30 other excise officials, and three major distilleries as part of its probe into an alleged ₹2,800-crore liquor scam that took place during the previous Congress government in the state.

In a statement, the ED alleged that a “criminal syndicate” involving senior bureaucrats and political figures had “completely hijacked” the Chhattisgah excise department between 2019 and 2023, subverting state controls to generate massive illegal earnings.

The attached assets include 78 immovable properties, such as luxury bungalows, premium flats, commercial shops and agricultural land, along with 197 financial investments, including fixed deposits, bank balances, insurance policies, equity shares and mutual funds. Assets worth ₹38.21 crore belong to Niranjan Das, an IAS officer, and 30 other excise officials, the agency said.

“This attachment highlights the deep-rooted complicity of the very officials tasked with protecting state revenue,” the ED stated.

Another set of properties worth ₹68.16 crore belongs to three Chhattisgarh-based distilleries — Chhattisgarh Distilleries Ltd., Bhatia Wine Merchants Pvt. Ltd. and Welcome Distilleries Pvt. Ltd., the agency added.

According to the ED, Das and Arun Pati Tripathi, the then managing director of the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited, spearheaded a “parallel excise system” that bypassed statutory controls to facilitate illegal profits.

The agency said it filed a fresh chargesheet on December 26, detailing what it described as “massive corruption” within the excise department between 2019 and 2023, resulting in proceeds of crime amounting to ₹2,883 crore.

“The investigation has revealed a well-organised criminal syndicate that subverted the state’s liquor policy for personal gain through a multi-layered mechanism involving illegal commissions and the sale of unaccounted liquor,” the ED said.

So far, 81 individuals have been named as accused in the ED’s chargesheets, including Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel; former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma; former IAS officers Anil Tuteja and Niranjan Das; and former deputy secretary in the chief minister’s office Saumya Chaurasia.

Others named include Anwar Dhebar, brother of Raipur mayor and Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar, the three distilleries, and several private individuals.

The ED alleged that Chaitanya Baghel and Lakhma played roles in granting policy approvals and in the alleged use of illicit funds for business and real estate ventures. Chaurasia, the agency said, acted as a key coordinator, managing illicit cash flows and facilitating postings of compliant excise officers.

The agency further claimed that excise officials were paid a fixed commission of ₹140 per liquor case to allow sales in their jurisdictions. Niranjan Das alone is alleged to have amassed more than ₹18 crore in proceeds of crime by receiving a monthly bribe of ₹50 lakh.

According to the ED, the syndicate generated illegal earnings through four channels — illegal commissions, unaccounted liquor sales, cartel commissions, and misuse of FL-10A licences to extort money from foreign liquor manufacturers.

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