The State Economic Offences Investigation and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SEOIACB) conducted a series of raids in Raipur focusing on multiple locations connected to the liquor scam. Raids were carried out at six locations, including the residence of Anwar Dhebar as well as his associates and the Dhebar family’s Hotel Vennington Court on Jail Road. The investigation is reportedly extending to the residences of Mayor Ejaz Dhebar and his relatives, including Akhtar Dhebar and Junaid Dhebar. The SEOIACB has already arrested three persons in connection with the investigation into the liquor scam. Arvind Singh, Arun Pati Tripathi, and Anwar Dhebar. Both Arvind Singh and Anwar Dhebar were presented in the special court, as their remand was set to expire today. AP Tripathi, former Special Secretary of the Excise department arrested in Bihar, was also brought to court. SEOIACB requested an extension of remand for all three suspects, which was granted, keeping them in the Bureau’s custody until April 18.

 

The raids are part of a broader investigation into the liquor scam, prompted by an Enforcement Directorate (ED) report that led to the filing of an FIR. SEOIACB started investigating the case three months after the new BJP government took over and is now trying to proceed rapidly in the case based on the evidence gathered. The Bureau recently raided 21 locations across the state, including 9 in Raipur, 7 in Durg-Bhilai, 4 in Rajnandgaon, and 4 in Bilaspur. During these searches, authorities seized approximately Rs 19 lakh in cash, along with electronic devices such as laptops and pen drives, bank statements, documents related to movable and immovable properties, jewellery worth crores, and investments worth crores in banks.

 

These seized evidence and documents are being examined for evidence of illegal assets acquired through the 2200 liquor scam and layering through shell companies, unsecured loans, and investments. The raids are part of ongoing efforts to uncover and prosecute individuals’ involvement in the liquor scam and related illegal activities. Meanwhile, informed sources maintained that the Bureau has not laid hands on any substantial amount of money during the raid or any substantial proof as there had been a sufficient delay in the investigations to pick up allowing substantial time for the accused in the cover-up of evidence related to the scam. However, state officials maintain that SEOIACB’s investigation aims to hold accountable those who have benefited from corruption and fraud and bring transparency and integrity to the state’s excise operations.