Raipur— The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth ₹61.20 crore belonging to Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, as part of its probe into the multi-crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam.
According to officials, the attached assets include 364 residential plots and agricultural lands valued at ₹59.96 crore, along with bank balances and fixed deposits worth ₹1.24 crore. The action marks another major step in the ongoing money-laundering investigation connected to the alleged liquor syndicate that operated across the state.
The ED’s case stems from an FIR registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offences Wing (ACB/EOW) in Raipur under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The police probe earlier revealed that the liquor scam caused a loss exceeding ₹2,500 crore to the state exchequer, enriching several individuals through the generation of illegal proceeds.
ED officials said that investigations established Chaitanya Baghel’s central role in the syndicate. “His position as the then Chief Minister’s son made him the controller and ultimate authority of the liquor network,” an ED source said. Baghel allegedly oversaw the maintenance of all accounts (“hisab”) of the illicit funds, and all major decisions regarding the collection and distribution of money were made under his direction.
The probe further found that Baghel received part of the proceeds of crime (POC), which he allegedly laundered through his real estate firm, M/s Baghel Developers, projecting them as legitimate business earnings. The POC was reportedly used to develop his real estate project, ‘Vitthal Green’, under his proprietorship.
Chaitanya Baghel was arrested by the ED on July 18 and remains in judicial custody. The agency has already arrested several high-profile individuals in connection with the case, including former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Arvind Singh, Trilok Singh Dhillon, Anwar Dhebar, ITS officer Arun Pati Tripathi, and MLA Kawasi Lakhma, who also served as the then Excise Minister of Chhattisgarh.
The ED clarified that the latest attachment of ₹61.20 crore is in addition to earlier attachments of immovable assets valued at approximately ₹215 crore, as the agency continues to track and seize assets linked to the alleged scam.
