In connection with the continuing investigation into the liquor scam in the State of Chhattisgarh, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has temporarily attached 119 immovable assets totalling around Rs. 121.87 crores in the names of Anil Tuteja, Anwar Dhebar, Arunpati Tripathi, Arvind Singh, and Vikas Agrawal.
Among the properties that are attached are 14 properties for Anil Tuteja, an IAS, valued at Rs. 8.83 crores, 69 properties for Anwar Dhebar, valued at Rs. 98.78 crores, 3 properties for Vikash Agarwal @ Subbu, valued at Rs. 1.54 crore, 32 properties for Arvind Singh, valued at Rs. 11.35 crore, and one property for Arunpati Tripathi, valued at Rs. 1.35 crore. One of Anwar Dhebar’s attached properties is the Hotel Vennington Court in Raipur, which is managed by his company, M/s A Dhebar Buildcon.
The corruption in the liquor scam that took place between 2019 and 2022 involved various methods. Firstly, bribes were collected as a commission from the distillers for each case of liquor procured by the CSMCL (the state body responsible for the purchase and sale of liquor). Additionally, there was the sale of unaccounted “kacha” off-the-books country liquor, where none of the proceeds reached the state exchequer and all the sales were pocketed by the syndicate.
This illegal liquor was sold exclusively through state-run shops. Another aspect was the collection of bribes from distillers to allow them to form a cartel and secure a fixed market share. There was also the commission obtained from FL-10A License Holders who were introduced to earn in the foreign liquor segment.
Anwar Dhebar, Nitesh Purohit, Trilok Singh Dhillon, and Arun Pati Tripathi were previously detained by the ED for their involvement in the crime of money laundering.
Additionally, the ED has carried out over 50 search operations in various cities including Raipur, Bhilai, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai. These operations have resulted in the successful seizure of moveable assets totalling Rs. 58 Crore, including cash, fixed deposits, shares, and jewellery. As a result, the approximate total seizure and attachment, in this case, is Rs 180 Crore. More research is being done.
