RAIPUR
Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s son, Chaitanya Baghel, will remain in jail through Diwali after a Raipur Special Court extended his judicial remand till October 29 in the alleged liquor scam and money laundering case. This extension of 14 days means he will spend the festival of Diwali in judicial custody. Chaitanya Baghel has been in jail since his arrest on 18 July 2025.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing the money laundering aspect, has named Chaitanya Baghel as an accused. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) had taken Chaitanya Baghel on remand on 24 September on the court’s instructions.
EOW officials claim they have received crucial information during his interrogation and state that the investigation’s scope will expand in the coming days, potentially leading to action against more individuals in the case.
The EOW failed to file a chargesheet against Chaitanya Baghel, despite the court first granting time till October 13 and then a final extension till October 15. The agency has not yet submitted the chargesheet.
₹16.70 crore received: ED
According to the ED, Chaitanya Baghel was arrested from Bhilai on 18 July 2025. The agency alleges that Baghel received ₹16.70 crore from the proceeds of the liquor scam.
The ED investigation claims the black money was invested in real estate projects and fake investments were shown to legalise the cash. It is also alleged that the syndicate handled over ₹1,000 crore in the scam.
Money invested in Baghel’s project
The ED found that scam money was invested in Chaitanya Baghel’s real estate venture, Vitthal Green Project (Baghel Developers). The agency had earlier seized records after conducting raids at the premises of the project’s accountant.
Rajendra Jain, a consultant for the project, stated that the actual expenditure was between ₹13 crore and ₹15 crore, while records showed only ₹7.14 crore. Seized digital devices revealed that Baghel’s company allegedly made a cash payment of ₹4.2 crore to a contractor that was not accounted for in the records.
Money laundered through fake flat purchases
The ED also found that Trilok Singh Dhillo transferred ₹5 crore to Baghel Developers for purchasing 19 flats. Dhillo bought these flats in the names of his employees but made the payments himself.
During questioning, the employees confirmed the flat purchases were in their names but said Dhillo made the payments. All these transactions allegedly took place on the same day, 19 October 2020. The ED stated this was a premeditated transaction to legalise black money, with the motive of concealing funds and channelling them to Chaitanya Baghel.
Cash legalised through loan and land deal
An investigation revealed that a jeweller from Bhilai allegedly loaned ₹5 crore to Chaitanya Baghel. This ₹5 crore was shown as a loan to two of Baghel’s companies. Later, the same jeweller bought six plots worth ₹80 lakh from Baghel’s company. The ED states this was cash from the liquor scam, which was transferred through the bank to present it as legal money.
The agency also claims that Chaitanya Baghel used other individuals and ‘front companies‘ to receive the illegal funds, thus attempting to evade tracking by the ED and other agencies. The money allegedly flowed through Dhillan City Mall to Dhillan Drinks, then transferred to employees, and finally given to Baghel Developers. The ED maintains that Chaitanya Baghel received ₹16.70 crore in illegal funds from the scam.
