The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recently lodged a complaint with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF), unveiling a complex criminal conspiracy related to an alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh. The accused include high-ranking officials, including a special secretary and commissioner, from the Chhattisgarh excise department, along with a Noida-based company.
The FIR, filed on Sunday at a Greater Noida police station, alleges that the Noida-based firm was unlawfully granted a tender for the supply of holograms to the Chhattisgarh excise department. These holograms serve as a vital safety feature to ensure the authenticity of sold liquor. Shockingly, investigations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) have unearthed a series of unlawful activities.
The complaint asserts that the company in question was ineligible to participate in the tender process. However, the senior excise officials allegedly colluded with the company owners to modify the tender conditions and secretly award the contract to the firm. Further revelations indicate that the officials committed to supplying unaccounted duplicate holograms, facilitating the illegal sale of country liquor bottles in Chhattisgarh’s state-run shops.
The ED’s investigation suggests that the duplicate holograms were manufactured at a Noida factory and subsequently transported to Chhattisgarh, following instructions from prominent “liquor syndicate” leaders. This syndicate purportedly secured a contract for supplying a staggering 80 crore holograms over five years, at an exorbitant price, in exchange for on-demand deliveries of duplicate holograms.
Notably, during a search operation in 2021, authorities seized duplicate holograms from the Noida factory owned by the implicated firm. The statements obtained from various sources corroborated the illicit delivery of these items.
As the case unfolds, both excise and STF officials remain tight-lipped, unavailable for any official comments on the matter.
