'Bigg Boss' Of Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam: How Ex-Chief Minister's Son Ran Syndicate

Chaitanya Baghel's attorney Faisal Rizvi has characterized the case as politically driven.

A vast liquor syndicate has been exposed with proceeds exceeding Rs 1,000 crore, extensive cash movements, a WhatsApp group titled 'Bigg Boss', counterfeit holograms, a substantial real estate portfolio, and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's son Chaitanya Baghel at its core.

Currently in Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody related to the notorious liquor scandal, Chaitanya Baghel likely faces additional arrest by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

On September 15, the ED submitted a fifth supplementary chargesheet spanning over 7,000 pages to a special court. The document confirmed that Chaitanya Baghel personally managed more than Rs 1,000 crore in illicit funds, with investigators identifying him as the architect who transformed these illegal proceeds into an empire of influence and property.

The magnitude of the fraud is overwhelming, with the ED asserting that Rs 1,392 crore was channeled to Congress leaders and their associates between 2019 and 2022 alone.

The liquor scandal originated in February 2019 when Congress power broker Anwar Dhebar organized a meeting at a Raipur hotel. Distillers including Naveen Kedia of Chhattisgarh Distillery, Prince Bhatia of Bhatia Wines, and Rajendra Jaiswal of Welcome Distillery attended, alongside officials AP Tripathi and Arvind Singh. This gathering established the foundation of the syndicate, determining that commissions would be collected per case of liquor provided, with distillery operators promised higher rates in exchange for paying kickbacks.

The investigation uncovered a WhatsApp group named "Bigg Boss," through which financial transactions worth hundreds of crores were allegedly coordinated. Participants included Chaitanya Baghel, known as "Bittu," along with Mr. Dhebar, retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, excise official Saumya Chaurasia, and businessman Pushpak. The ED's chargesheet includes screenshots of these conversations, detailing when "Bittu" called, conversation durations, and instructions issued. The group functioned as an alternative command center for the state's liquor trade, making decisions about cash routing, duplicate hologram creation, and commission management.

Evidence was also retrieved from the mobile devices of Mr. Dhebar, Mr. Tuteja and Ms. Chaurasia. In Mr. Anwar's phone, Chaitanya Baghel's number was saved under the nickname "Bittu." Messages revealed discussions of massive cash transfers, fake hologram production, and black money distribution. According to the ED, Chaitanya Baghel personally gained at least Rs 200 crore, while another Rs 850 crore was allegedly directed to then Congress treasurer Ram Gopal Agarwal.

The agency reports that the operation ran with military precision, with WhatsApp group discussions determining fund recipients, contractor payments, and money laundering methods.

The syndicate's activities were organized into three segments: Part A involved commissions of Rs 75 per case, generating over Rs 300 crore. Part B centered on a shadow liquor market where duplicate holograms allowed thousands of cases to bypass state warehouses. In 2022-23 alone, 400 trucks of illegal liquor moved monthly, earning the syndicate Rs 3,000 per case. Part C involved a manipulated licensing system called FL-10A, granting select companies the right to sell imported foreign liquor at inflated prices, generating another Rs 211 crore.

The chargesheet also tracks how fraudulent money was laundered through real estate. Chaitanya Baghel's ventures Vitthal Green and Baghel Developers & Associates allegedly served as money laundering operations. Though official records showed only Rs 7.14 crore spent, investigators estimate actual costs at Rs 13-15 crore, with Rs 4.2 crore paid in cash to contractors.

In 2020, remarkably, 19 flats in Vitthal Green were purchased in one day by employees of liquor baron Trilok Singh Dhillon, a strategy the ED claims was designed to disguise black money. Prominent Bhilai jewelers allegedly provided "loans" of Rs 5 crore to Chaitanya Baghel's companies before acquiring six prime plots for just Rs 80 lakh. The ED describes this as a classic example of money laundering—cash flowing in, property flowing out, all under legitimate business pretenses.

The ED's investigation has implicated bureaucrats, politicians, businessmen, bottle suppliers, security contractors, and even hologram printers. Retired Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand, according to ED, was not merely a passive observer but an alleged direct beneficiary. In the agency's assessment, the excise department was transformed into a "high-performance corruption engine," facilitated by intimidation, favoritism, and financial gain.

Liquor trader Laxmi Narayan, known as Pappu Bansal and considered close to Bhupesh Baghel, admitted during questioning that he and Chaitanya Baghel jointly handled over Rs 1,000 crore in cash. He revealed that funds moved from Mr. Dhebar to Deepen Chavda, and then to Congress leaders Mr. Agarwal and KK Srivastava. In just three months, Mr. Bansal claimed to have managed Rs 136 crore. According to ED officials, Mr. Bansal's testimony demonstrates how deeply embedded the syndicate was within the political establishment.

Chaitanya Baghel's lawyer Faisal Rizvi has dismissed the case as politically motivated. He claimed the arrest was unlawful, based solely on Pappu Bansal's statement, who is currently missing and faces a non-bailable warrant. Mr. Rizvi stated his client had always cooperated with investigators, submitted all required documentation, yet was never summoned for questioning before being arrested. He argued that his client has been made a scapegoat to target the former chief minister.