The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has exposed an alleged scam of Rs 2,000 crore in Chhattisgarh, reportedly involving high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats. The agency has apprehended Anwar Dhebar, brother of Congress leader and Raipur mayor Aijaz Dhebar, who has been remanded to ED custody for four days by a court in Raipur. The ED alleges that the corruption and money laundering occurred from 2019 to 2022, with money collected on “every bottle” of liquor sold in the state by an alcohol syndicate led by Anwar Dhebar.
According to the ED, Anwar Dhebar was backed by and working for the illegal gratification of high-level political executives and senior bureaucrats. He controlled the entire chain of the liquor trade, from private distillers to cash collection vendors, and extorted maximum bribes/commission. The purported liquor syndicate imposed a commission of ₹75-150 per case for each accounted cash procured by the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL), generating ₹1,200-1,500 crore of illegal profits between 2019 and 2022.
The ED claims that Anwar Dhebar was responsible for amassing the entirety of the illicit funds but was not the only beneficiary of the scam. After deducting a percentage, he passed on the remaining amounts to his political masters. Anwar Dhebar was caught attempting to escape through the back entrance of a hotel in Raipur and was apprehended by the ED on allegations of violating the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Despite his attorney’s assertion that the arrest was politically motivated, a specialized PMLA court granted the ED four-day custody of him.
The ED said that the criminal syndicate led by Anwar Dhebar turned upside down the objectives of the excise department, which are to regulate the supply of liquor, ensure quality liquor to users, prevent hooch tragedies, and earn revenue for the state. The state has a monopoly on all aspects of the liquor industry in Chhattisgarh, with no room for private players. All 800 liquor shops are run by the state and CSMCL centrally procures all the liquor.
