Now Reading: ED arrests ex-Congress treasurer in Chhattisgarh Rs 3,000 crore liquor scam
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ED arrests ex-Congress treasurer in Chhattisgarh Rs 3,000 crore liquor scam
ED arrests ex-Congress treasurer in Chhattisgarh Rs 3,000 crore liquor scam
The Enforcement Directorate arrested Ramgopal Agarwal, former treasurer of the Chhattisgarh Congress, on Tuesday in connection with a Rs 3,000 crore liquor scam. The agency claims Agarwal kept Rs 72 crore and…
The Story in Brief
The Enforcement Directorate arrested Ramgopal Agarwal, former treasurer of the Chhattisgarh Congress, on Tuesday in connection with a Rs 3,000 crore liquor scam. The agency claims Agarwal kept Rs 72 crore and helped generate Rs 1,000 crore in crime proceeds, using the code name 'samaan' for illicit cash. He was already in jail after a state police arrest.
ED says a syndicate of retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Anwar Dhebar and Arun Pati Tripathi manipulated Chhattisgarh's excise system from 2019 to 2023. Cash was allegedly delivered to Rajiv Bhawan, the Congress party's then Raipur office, at Agarwal's instance. The court has remanded him to seven days' ED custody. Former CM Bhupesh Baghel's son Chaitanya Baghel was also arrested earlier.
The Indian Opinion
The ED's arrest of Ramgopal Agarwal is the latest chapter in a case where political funding meets organised crime. Both the Congress and the BJP now trade accusations of corruption, but what ordinary Indians see is a pattern: cash-for-liquor syndicates operating with alleged political cover, regardless of which party is in power. The real test is whether the investigation will reach the highest levels of the state's former excise machinery and produce convictions, not just arrests and headlines.
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com, timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
