When the BJP-era ED runs out of fresh suspects in the Chhattisgarh liquor case, it just raids the Congress-era cabinet again.
On April 30, 2026, the Enforcement Directorate's Raipur Zonal Office searched 13 premises across Raipur, Durg, Bhilai and Bilaspur in the latest tranche of the alleged Rs 2,883 crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam (2019-2022, Bhupesh Baghel-era Congress government). Cash seized: Rs 53 lakh. Gold and bullion: 3.234 kg, valued at roughly Rs 4.86 crore. The named accused list now reads like a Baghel-era cabinet reunion: ex-CM Bhupesh Baghel's son Chaitanya Baghel; retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, then-joint secretary; IAS officer Niranjan Das, then-Excise Commissioner; ex-Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma; and Saumya Chaurasia, then-Deputy Secretary in the CM's office. Total roster across six chargesheets: 81 accused. The 'criminal syndicate' that allegedly 'completely hijacked' the state excise department is, three years after the government changed, still being unhijacked one safe deposit at a time.