In a discreet move, which has now turned into a major development in Chhattisgarh, Raipur-based Enforcement Directorate (ED) has lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against three senior bureaucrats of Chhattisgarh Government, including two IAS officers, one ITS, a Noida-based businessman and Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar’s elder brother Anwar Dhebar, into alleged 2,000 crore liquor scam. The news of a fresh move by the federal agency surfaced from Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh, where a local police station has registered an offence under multiple charges of cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy, against all the five persons. The fresh development took aback everyone on Monday morning, including the senior bureaucrats and police officers of Chhattisgarh. The FIR copy, which has been accessed by this newspaper, was lodged with Kasna police station, under the jurisdiction Greater Noida Commissionerate, Gautam Budh Nagar. The complainant in the FIR has been identified as Hemant, one of the Deputy Directors, posted with Raipur-based ED Office, which is investigating into the scam-linked with money laundering to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore. The money-laundering case stems from a 2022 Income Tax Department prosecution complaint filed against Tuteja and 14 others before a Delhi court.

 

As per the FIR, the five accused named in the case includes IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Arun Pati Tripathi, an Indian Telecom Service (ITS) cadre officer and Special Secretary in Excise Department, another IAS officer and Excise Commissioner Niranjan Das, Vidhu Gupta, Managing Director of M/s Prizm Holography, Security Films Private Limited and finally, Anwar Dhebar, elder brother of Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar and a renowned realtor of Capital city. It is pertinent here to recall that the ED had arrested Tripathi and Dhebar in the case earlier. The ED had claimed that Arun Pati Tripathi, who was arrested on May 12, through his direct actions at the insistence of Anwar Dhebar, had corrupted the entire liquor system of Chhattisgarh to maximise corruption in the department. Arun Pati Tripathi had played a crucial role in meticulous shaping, planning and execution of the scam, which took place between 2019 and 2022. Tripathi, basically an Indian Telecom Services (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, the ED had maintained in its findings during the probe of the scam.

 

In the FIR spanning to 10 pages, the complainant said that the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is investigating a money laundering case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) linked with the liquor scam in the State of Chhattisgarh (file No - ECIR/RPZO/11/2022. Investigation under PMLA has revealed that one company namely M/s Prizm Holography Security Films Pvt Ltd based at Noida was illegally granted a tender to supply Hologram To the Excise Department of Chhattisgarh. “The company was not eligible to participate in the tender process, but in connivance with the company’s owners, the senior officials of the State of Chhattisgarh namely Arun Pati Tripathi ITS (Special Secretary Excise), Niranjan Das IAS (Excise Commissioner), Anil Tuteja IAS, modified the tender conditions and illegally allotted the tender to M/s Prizm Holography Security Films Pvt Ltd Noida,” he maintained. “As a quid pro quo, they took commission of 8 paisa per Hologram and also took a commitment to supply unaccounted duplicate Holograms to carry out a sinister crime of selling illegal Country Liquor bottles from State-run shops in Chhattisgarh. The Hologram was in fact a safety feature to ensure that authenticated liquor is sold in the State. But the actions of M/s Prizm Holography in manufacturing duplicate Holograms at Noida, allowed the Liquor Syndicate to use the very same safety feature, to fool the gullible general consumers.

 

ED investigation has revealed that tender was allotted to this company as part of a criminal conspiracy. M/s Prizm Holography Security Films Pvt Ltd (M/s PHSF from here on) was granted the tender in order to ensure smooth supply of duplicate holograms to the liquor syndicate. The Holograms were made at Noida factory, and then transported to Chhattisgarh as per the instructions from the Liquor Syndicate leaders. The syndicate as part of the arrangement allotted the contract of supplying 80 crore holograms in 5 years at a highly inflated price to M/s PHSF in return for on-demand supply of duplicate holograms,” the complainant alleged while explaining the chronology. The complainant also referred to the statement of Vidhu Gupta, Managing Director of M/s Prizm Holography, Security Films Private Limited, recorded under Section 50 of PMLA, wherein he admitted has admitted to his role and admitted that both the original and duplicate holograms were manufactured in their Noida factory premises at A2/32-33,Site 5 UPSIDC, Kasana, Greater Noida, UP.

 

As per his admission u/s 50 of PMLA 2002 (which is a quasi judicial proceeding) he supplied the original holograms to the Excise Office inserting serial numbers at their end whereas the duplicate holograms with pre-inserted were fully completed at their Noida factory premises and were later transported to syndicate operatives. The complainant also went on to add, “Investigation conducted by the directorate also revealed that multiple companies challenged the allotment of hologram tender to M/s Prizm Holography Films Securities Pvt Ltd Noida. However, the complaints were brushed aside by active collusion of Arun Pati Tripathi ITS, Anil Tuteja IAS, Niranjan Das IAS and Anwar Dhebar.” The complainant also revealed in the police FIR that ED investigation has found that the firm also supplied duplicate holograms to the state of Jharkhand as well. Based on the complaint, an offence under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 420, 468, 471, 473, 484 and 120 B, which amounts to criminal charges of cheating, forgery, making or possessing counterfeit seal for forgery, counterfeiting mark used by public servant and criminal conspiracy, was registered by Kasna police station of Greater Noida.