ENFORCEMENT Directorate (ED) investigation into Rs 2,000 crore liquor scam vertical on Monday claimed that Arun Pati Tripathi, who was arrested on May 12, through his direct actions at the insistence of Anwar Dhebar, corrupted the entire liquor system of Chhattisgarh to maximise corruption in the department. Tripathi at present is being grilled by ED sleuths after he was produced in the court of 4th Additional Sessions Judge (Special Court, PMLA) in Raipur, which granted his custody to the agency till May 19. Meanwhile, ED on Monday also produced Anwar Dhebar, Nitesh Purohit andTrilok Singh Dhillon in the court of 4th Additional Sessions Judge (Special Court, PMLA) in Raipur, which extended the custody of trio to the federal agency up to May 19.

 

The ED probe into the liquor scam found thatArun Pati Tripathi had played a crucial role in meticulous shaping, planning and execution of the scam, which tookplacebetween2019and 2022. Tripathi, basically an IndianTelecomServices(ITS) cadre officer, who had been working in Chhattisgarh for past over 7 years, was Managing Director of state body - Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL) and also held the charge of Special Secretary, Excise Department, Chhattisgarh. ED in its in-depth probe into the scam found that he madepolicychanges inconspiracy with his other colleagues and gave tenders to associates of Anwar Dhebar so that maximum benefits could be taken under PARTA,PART-B,PART-CandFL10A heads.

 

“The part A is collection of money pertained to collecting commission from willing liquor players from CSMCL whereas Part B pertainedwithmanufactureand sale of unaccounted illicit liquor and PartCpertains to bribes taken from distillers to allow them to make a cartel and have fixed market share,” explains an ED official,privytotheliquor scam. AccordingtotheEDprobe, despite beingasenior ITS Officer and MD of CSMCL, he went against the ethos of the functioning of any State ExciseDepartmentandused the State run shops to sell unaccounted kacha liquor.

 

His complicit actions resultedinmassivelosstotheState Exchequer and filled the pockets of the beneficiaries of the Liquor Syndicate with morethanRs2,000croreillegal Proceeds ofCrime (PoC). He also received a substantial share in this loot. “Thus, the very objective of CSMCL to increase the State’s revenue and to providequality-controlledliquor to citizens was violated by him for his personal illegal gains,” maintains the federal agency’s disclosure based on its so-far probe submitted in the PMLA court