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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached movable and immovable assets totalling Rs 38.21 crore belonging to ex-IAS officer and the then Excise Commissioner Niranjan Das and 30 other excise officials in an ongoing investigation into the alleged massive Chhattisgarh liquor scam, which resulted in a loss of over Rs 2,800 crore.
The attached assets include 78 immovable properties worth Rs 21,64,65,015 comprising luxury bungalows, flats in premium complexes, commercial shop spaces, and extensive agricultural lands; 197 movable properties worth Rs 16,56,54,717 comprising items like high-value Fixed Deposits (FDs), balances in multiple bank accounts, life insurance policies, and a diverse portfolio of equity shares and mutual funds. https://x.com/dir_ed/status/2005960248851587216 ED's Raipur zonal office attached these properties under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, pointing out "the current attachment highlights the deep-rooted complicity of the very officials tasked with protecting state revenue." "These properties were attached as part of the ongoing investigation into the massive Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam, which resulted in a loss of over Rs 2,800 crore (revised calculation based on further revelations) to the state exchequer," ED said in a statement. ED said its investigation revealed that a "criminal syndicate, involving senior bureaucrats and political figures, completely hijacked the Chhattisgarh Excise Department." As per the agency, Niranjan Das and Arun Pati Tripathi (then MD of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL) spearheaded a parallel excise system that bypassed state controls to generate massive illegal earnings. "The syndicate operated a 'Part-B' scheme involving the manufacture and sale of unaccounted, off-the-record country liquor through government-run shops. This illicit liquor was produced and sold using duplicate holograms and unaccounted bottles and said 'illicit liquor' was transported directly from distilleries to shops, bypassing state warehouses. This fraud was committed with the active collusion and conspiracy of the said excise officials," said the ED. The agency said its investigation established that excise officials were paid a fixed commission of Rs 140 per case for allowing the sale of Part-B liquor in their jurisdictions. "Niranjan Das alone is identified to have acquired more than Rs 18 crore Proceeds of Crime (POC), receiving a monthly bribe of Rs 50 lakh for facilitating the scam. In total, the 31 excise officials were found to have derived, obtained and acquired Proceeds of Crime of Rs 89.56 crore." ED initiated its investigation based on an FIR registered by the Raipur Anti-Corruption Branch and Economic Offences Wing, involving various sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Police investigation has revealed that the Chhattisgarh liquor scam resulted in a massive loss to the state exchequer and a corresponding gain to the accused persons. (ANI)
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