The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted searches under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at 14 locations in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district in connection with an alleged liquor scam.

The raids were being conducted at the premises linked to former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, including the residence of his son Chaitanya Baghel and his close associates, sources said.

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According to sources, the central probe agency has gathered that Chaitanya Baghel is also a recipient of proceeds from the multi-crore scam, in which approximately Rs 2,161 crore were allegedly siphoned off through various fraudulent schemes.

Reacting to the development, Bhupesh Baghel said that “the guest of ED” arrived at his residence after a false case was dismissed by the court. He also suggested that the raids were an attempt to stop the Congress in Punjab. Notably, Bhupesh Baghel is the general secretary in-charge of Punjab Congress.

“When the false case, going on for seven years, was dismissed in the court, today, the guests of ED entered the Bhilai residence of former CM and Congress General Secretary Bhupesh Baghel. If someone is trying to stop Congress in Punjab through this conspiracy, then it is a misunderstanding,” he said in his post on X in Hindi.

Congress MP Manickam Tagore also launched a scathing attack on the ED’s actions, saying, “We all know that ED has become the pet dog of PM Modi and Union HM Amit Shah. They can send this dog anywhere they want. Bhupesh Baghel has been a strong leader for Congress, and he has fought these battles. The Congress party and the people of Chhattisgarh stand with him. We all know that these fake narratives built by BJP and RSS will be defeated…”

However, Chhattisgarh Deputy CM Arun Sao dismissed the Congress charge, stating that the ED action is not sudden and the same had been going on for a long time.

“How can one deny that there have been big scams during the tenure of Bhupesh Baghel? ED action has been going on for a long time. It is not that any sudden action has been taken today. ED has been investigating for a long time. In the process of investigation, they must have found some facts and suspicions, and on the basis of that, ED has taken this action, and if you have no role, then there should be no reason to be afraid or panic…,” he said.