Former Excise Dept Official Arrested in Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam Case

GG News Bureau
Raipur, 13th April. The Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offences Wing (ACB/EOW) has arrested a former special secretary of the state’s Excise Department in connection with an alleged liquor scam.

Arun Pati Tripathi, who previously served as the special secretary of the Excise Department and as the managing director of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL), was arrested in Bihar and brought back to Chhattisgarh on Thursday, according to Special Prosecution Officer (ACB/EOW) Saurabh Pandey on Friday.

ACB/EOW special judge Nidhi Sharma Tiwari granted Tripathi’s custodial remand until April 18. The special court also extended the custodial remand of Anwar Dhebar, the elder brother of Raipur’s Congress mayor Aijaz Dhebar, and another accused, Arvind Singh, until April 18, as informed by Pandey.

The ACB/EOW requested an extension of custody for Dhebar and Arvind Singh due to their lack of cooperation during the interrogation, he added.

A total of 70 individuals, including several Congress leaders and companies, were named in the FIR filed by the ACB/EOW in January 2024 regarding the alleged liquor scam. The FIR was registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act and Indian Penal Code.

According to the Enforcement Directorate, which also investigated the case, a syndicate had generated a total of 2,161 crore rupees as part of the liquor scam.