The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday conducted searches at the residence of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, officials said.
The agency teams reached the residence of Baghel in Raipur and Bhilai as well as the residential premises of a senior police officer and a close associate of the former chief minister, they said.
The agency is tight-lipped about the matter in which the searches are taking place.
Further details are awaited.
The ED conducted searches at the Baghel’s residence, his son Chaitanya Baghel and others on March 10 in connection with a liqour scam case. Sources said the raids were conducted at a total of 14 locations across Chhattisgarh. A day later, Baghel had lashed out at the BJP and claimed it was done without the Election Commission’s permission and to create a media hype.
ED searches at Baghel’s residence
Speaking to reporters on March 10, Baghel said, “At around 7.30 in the morning I was reading the newspaper, ED came to my house and I welcomed them.”
Further explaining the turn of events, he said, “I asked them about the search warrant. He asked about my phone and I refused. We are an agricultural family and we have 140 acres of land. ED found around 33 lakhs from my home. “He further alleged the BJP of using investigative agencies to trouble opposition leaders and said, “The citizens of the country now know that the BJP uses CBI, ED to trouble others. If the search operation ended just in hours in the home of a former chief minister, then they did not find anything.”
ED’s allegations
The ED has alleged that a cartel of government officials, politicians, and liquor businessmen ran a scheme that illegally collected around ₹2,161 crore from the sale of liquor in the state between 2019 and 2022.
The alleged scam involved manipulation of the liquor supply chain, where a cartel controlled the sale and distribution of alcohol through government-run shops. The agency has earlier conducted multiple raids, including on politicians and bureaucrats linked to the previous Congress-led government in Chhattisgarh.
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