ED attaches Rs 38-cr assets of former IAS Niranjan Das, 31 officials in liquor scam

Raipur

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached movable and immovable properties worth ₹38.21 crore belonging to former IAS officer and then Excise Commissioner Niranjan Das and 30 other excise officials. The action, taken under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, is part of the ongoing investigation into the alleged Chhattisgarh liquor scam.

According to the central agency, the scam resulted in a loss of over ₹2,800 crore to the state exchequer. This revised figure is based on new evidence and money trail analysis uncovered during the probe. Investigators have indicated that the loss amount could increase as the inquiry progresses.

Details of seized assets

The ED has so far seized 275 movable and immovable assets. The latest attachment includes:

Immovable Properties: 78 assets valued at ₹21.64 crore, comprising luxury bungalows, flats in premium residential complexes, commercial shops, and agricultural land.

Movable Properties: 197 assets worth ₹16.56 crore, including high-value fixed deposits, bank balances, life insurance policies, and investments in shares and mutual funds.

The agency stated that these assets were acquired using illegal proceeds generated from the liquor scam.

Modus operandi of the syndicate

The investigation reveals that a criminal syndicate involving senior bureaucrats and political figures bypassed the official state system to collect illegal funds. The ED claims that Niranjan Das, along with Arun Pati Tripathi—then Managing Director of the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL)—spearheaded a parallel excise system.

This “Part-B” scheme involved the sale of off-the-record country liquor through government-run shops using duplicate holograms. The illicit liquor was transported directly from distilleries to shops, bypassing state warehouses. Field officials reportedly received a fixed commission of ₹140 per case to facilitate these sales.

The ED initiated its money laundering probe based on FIRs registered by the Raipur Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) and the Economic Offences Wing (EOW). Several high-profile individuals, including businessman Anwar Dhebar, retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, and former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, have been named in the case.

The agency has filed a supplementary prosecution complaint naming 59 new accused persons, bringing the total number of individuals arraigned in the case to 81.