Former IAS officer arrested in Chhattisgarh liquor scam
Anil Tuteja, a retired officer from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The arrest is part of an ongoing money laundering investigation linked to an alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh. The IAS officer was taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), a day after he and his son Yash were summoned for questioning by the agency in Raipur.
Tuteja's career and recent interrogation
The ED's action came after the Supreme Court dismissed its previous FIR, which was based on a complaint from the Income Tax Department. The new case permits the investigation agency to re-investigate the charges. Tuteja, who retired from service in 2023, was dubbed the "kingpin" in the case by the ED in its previous chargesheet. He served as the joint secretary in Chhattisgarh's industry and commerce department.
Details of the alleged Chhattisgarh liquor scam
The alleged liquor scam case involves accusations of corruption within Chhattisgarh's liquor industry, implicating officials and influential individuals. The ED stated that irregularities occurred between 2019 and 2022 when state-run liquor retailer, CSMCL, allegedly received bribes from distillers. In July last year, the ED submitted a chargesheet alleging that ₹2,161 crore of corruption money was generated in this 'liquor scam' that began in 2019.
Tuteja's alleged involvement in the liquor scam
The ED claimed that money was illegally collected from "every" bottle of liquor sold in Chhattisgarh by an alcohol syndicate led by Tuteja and Anwar Dhebar, the elder brother of Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar. The agency said the alleged liquor syndicate working in the state under Dhebar charged a commission of ₹75-150 per case from the suppliers for liquor procured by the CSMCL. Then, Dhebar started getting "manufactured unaccounted country-made liquor and selling the same through government-run shops."
