Chhattisgarh ACB-EOW Registers FIR in Jharkhand Liquor Scam, Names Top IAS Officers and Excise Officials in Multicrore Conspiracy

Raipur
The Chhattisgarh ACB-EOW has registered an FIR on September 7, revealing a liquor scam in Jharkhand that follows the same pattern as the significant scam in the Chhattisgarh Excise Department. The FIR names IAS Vinay Kumar Choubey, former secretary to Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, and former Joint Commissioner of Excise Gajendra Singh, along with individuals associated with the Chhattisgarh liquor syndicate. The two officers face charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy under a fresh case registered by the Raipur EOW.
According to the FIR, IAS Anil Tuteja, Anwar Dhebar, Arunpati Tripathi, and their syndicate conspired with Jharkhand officials to change the state’s excise policy. As a result, the tender for domestic and foreign liquor in Jharkhand was awarded to members of the syndicate. Country liquor with duplicate holograms was sold without accounting, while the supply of foreign liquor was given to close agencies through the introduction of the F.L.10A license. This led to the illegal earning of crores of rupees through commissions.
Anwar Dhebar, Arunpati Tripathi, Jharkhand Excise Secretary Vinay Kumar Choubey, and Joint Excise Commissioner Gajendra Singh involved their seniors in implementing the scheme in Jharkhand. Arunpati Tripathi, MD of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Ltd., was hired as a consultant and prepared a model based on the Chhattisgarh policy for the Jharkhand government. The new Excise Rules, Jharkhand Products (Operation of Retail Products Outlets through Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited) Rules, 2022, were implemented in Jharkhand, with Arunpati Tripathi receiving 1.25 crore as a fee.
Chhattisgarh-based companies Sumit Facility, Eagle Hunter Solutions, and A-to-Z Infra Services were awarded contracts in Jharkhand by tailoring tender conditions to their advantage. Siddharth Singhania was given the job of man power supply by these companies’ owners, opening an office in Ranchi to handle single man power supply on their behalf. However, Singhania did not supply the required number of employees to liquor shops in Jharkhand, instead hiring only older workers from local contractors and recovering illegal amounts. This resulted in a significant reduction in manpower at the shops.
The syndicate introduced the F.L. 1A license in Jharkhand, similar to the 10A license in Chhattisgarh, and awarded both domestic and foreign supply works to Om Sai Beverages and Dishita Ventures by modifying tender terms. The hologram supply work was given to Vidhu Gupta of Noida, owner of M/s Prism Holography and Security Film Private Limited, who further subcontracted the work to Ocular Holography Films Private Limited without supplying the holograms himself.
The Chhattisgarh syndicate’s illegal liquor business commenced throughout Jharkhand from May 1, 2022, enabling them to earn crores of rupees by bringing the business under government regulations while cheating both the Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand governments. A meeting was held in Raipur in January 2022 between the syndicate and Jharkhand authorities to plan the illegal liquor business in Jharkhand.
The complainant in the FIR, Vikas Singh, stated that after the implementation of the new liquor policy in Jharkhand, the state’s excise revenue target for 2022-23 decreased by crores of rupees. He demanded an investigation into the matter and action against Anil Tuteja, Anwar Dhebar, Arunpati Tripathi, Siddharth Singhania, Vidhu Gupta, and their syndicate partners, as well as Jharkhand Excise Secretary Vinay Kumar Choubey, Excise Joint Commissioner Gajendra Singh, and their accomplices on charges of corruption and damage to the state.