The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting raids at the residences of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in Raipur and Bhilai.
The development was confirmed by Baghel’s office, which stated that the agency’s officials had reached his premises ahead of his scheduled departure for Delhi on Wednesday.
Baghel was set to attend a meeting of the All India Congress Committee’s ‘Drafting Committee’ in Ahmedabad on 8-9 April.
His office, in a post on social media platform X, remarked, “Now CBI has come. Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is scheduled to go to Delhi today for the meeting of the ‘Drafting Committee’ constituted for the AICC meeting to be held in Ahmedabad. Even before that, CBI has reached Raipur and Bhilai residence.”
The CBI action comes weeks after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches on 10 March at the residence of Bhupesh Baghel, his son Chaitanya Baghel, and others in connection with an ongoing probe into an alleged multi-crore liquor scam in Chhattisgarh.
Following the ED searches, Baghel had taken to X, stating, “ED has left the house. They found three things in my house – a pen drive containing a conversation about transactions of crores between Manturam and Dr Puneet Gupta (Dr Raman Singh’s son-in-law), papers of SAIL company belonging to Dr Raman Singh’s son Abhishek Singh.”
Also read: Bhupesh Baghel accuses BJP of misusing central agencies
“The total of farming, dairy, Stridhan, and ‘cash in hand’ in the entire joint family is about 33 lakh rupees, the account of which will be given to them. The main thing is that ED officials have not been able to provide any ECIR number,” Baghel further alleged.
The former Chief Minister and Congress leader refuted claims that the ED had issued a summons to his son, calling it a conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to malign political opponents.
“No notice has been received, so there is no question of appearing anywhere. We will certainly appear before them once we receive a notice. No notice has been received yet… ED’s job is to create a deliberate media hype… Agencies are used to defame other individuals. That is what they have done so far… This is a conspiracy by the BJP to defame leaders,” Baghel told mediapersons.
The ED has alleged that a cartel of government officials, politicians, and liquor businessmen illegally amassed approximately Rs 2,161 crore from the sale of alcohol in Chhattisgarh between 2019 and 2022.
The purported scam, according to the agency, involved manipulation of the liquor supply chain, with a cartel controlling the sale and distribution of alcohol through government-run outlets.
Several high-profile figures linked to the former Congress-led government in Chhattisgarh have been under scrutiny, with the ED carrying out multiple raids in recent months.
Investigations into the case remain ongoing.
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