A chain of testimonies, call records and chat transcripts annexed in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) prosecution complaint has pulled former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel into the core of the Rs 3,200 crore liquor scam, alongside his son Chaitanya Baghel and then Deputy Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office, Saumya Chaurasia. The 7,000-page filing, distilled into a 99-page summary accessed by The Hitavada, goes beyond individual roles to record that proceeds of crime from Part-A were entirely appropriated by the then Congress Government, with substantial portions of Part-B and Part-C also retained by the ruling party of that period. The prosecution complaint records detailed quantification of the liquor scam, drawing on the computation made by the State Economic Offences Investigation and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SEOIACB), Raipur.

 

The figures cited are: Part-A (Rs 319.32 crore), Part-B (Rs 2,174.67 crore), and Part-C (Rs 70 crore), aggregating to Rs 2,563 crore. The ED situates these numbers within the broader Rs 3,200 crore liquor scam pegged by the SEOIACB, underscoring the scale of laundering alleged in the case. The prosecution complaint also attaches Relied Upon Documents (RUDs), which form the evidentiary backbone of the case. These include statements recorded under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), digital records, WhatsApp chats, and annexures placed before the Special Court. According to one such RUD, Laxmi Narayan alias Pappu Bansal (RUD-11) disclosed that he had known Bhupesh Baghel for 25 years and frequently visited the Chief Minister’s residence in Raipur with Chaitanya Baghel. During one such visit, “Shri Bhupesh Baghel categorically told him that Anwar Dhebar would be sending some ‘saamaan’ to him and the same had to be further passed on to Ram Gopal Agrawal, Treasurer of Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC).”

 

Bansal explained that “saamaan” was a code word for cash. Bansal further revealed that Chaitanya Baghel would inform him a day in advance of cash deliveries from Anwar Dhebar. The complaint records that these consignments were typically delivered at Rajiv Bhawan, Raipur. Acting on Chaitanya’s instructions, Bansal admitted to delivering Rs 80-100 crore to Krishn Kumar Shrivastava @ K.K. Shrivastava, in addition to handing Rs 5 crore in cash directly to Chaitanya Baghel. He clarified that the phrase “Raipur ka Seth” referred to Ram Gopal Agrawal, who has since remained absconding despite multiple summons. Another RUD records the testimony of Arun Pati Tripathi (RUD-7), then Managing Director of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL). In his statement, Tripathi admitted that “proceeds of crime generated by way of Part-A fund was entirely appropriated by the Congress Government (then ruling in the state during that period).

 

A significant portion of Part-B was also being kept by the Congress Party, and Part-C was appropriated by the Congress Party in State.” His statement establishes appropriation of scam proceeds by the ruling political party. The ED also cites Arvind Singh (RUD-8), identified as a logistics supplier to the liquor syndicate, who corroborated these findings. He told ED that “funds out of the scam were being diverted to the political party in power” and confirmed that “a significant portion of Part-B proceeds was appropriated by the then ruling Congress Government.” He added that digital records recovered from Anwar Dhebar’s phone substantiated how Pappu Bansal was receiving payments on behalf of political executives. The digital evidence annexed to the prosecution complaint also captures Saumya Chaurasia’s role in bridging the political and operational ends of the scam. In one WhatsApp chat, she forwarded a request from Whiskin Spirits Pvt Ltd to Anil Tuteja. His response was: “Bula lo.” Saumya replied, “Tripathi”; Tuteja confirmed with “ok.” The ED notes that “Tripathi” was Arun Pati Tripathi, then Special Secretary, Excise Department, who had already been arraigned in the predicate offence.

 

Another annexure reproduces screenshots from a WhatsApp group titled “BIG BOSS.” The participant roster lists “Chaitnya” among members, identified by ED as Chaitanya Baghel. The messages in the screenshot include the lines: “Honeytrap case - name of a senior IAS officer of the 2005 batch linked to a controversy is in diary” and “Jay will gv u money.” The ED has cited this screenshot to demonstrate how sensitive references and money trails were being discussed in real time. In another sequence cited in the prosecution complaint, Saumya forwarded a message concerning holograms to Tuteja and asked him to identify the sender. Tuteja replied with a single word: “Bittu.” The ED notes that in his Section 50 statement, Tuteja admitted that “Bittu” referred to Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, thereby corroborating his direct role in liquor-linked coordination.

 

The prosecution complaint also cites call records, cross-verified against KYC documents, to establish multiple conversations between Anwar Dhebar and Chaitanya Baghel. These records, read with chat transcripts and testimonies, reinforce the conclusion that Baghel was not peripheral but integral to the laundering mechanism. The ED further documents attachment and freezing actions undertaken during the probe. Properties valued at several crores, linked to Baghel and associated firms, were provisionally attached. Multiple bank accounts were frozen to secure the suspected proceeds of crime. The agency has sought final confiscation of these assets before the Special Court under provisions of PMLA.