ED Raids Residence of ex-Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel’s Son in Bhilai

RAIPUR:
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted raids on the residence of Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in the Padumnagar locality of Bhilai, Chhattisgarh.

The teams reached Chaitanya’s Bhilai residence in four Innova cars. This may be, as reports suggest, part of a larger operation, with the Central investigation agency raiding around 14 locations across the state; of them, some are linked to Chaitanya Baghel.

His office on his X handle has promptly reacted to raids: “When the false case going on for seven years was dismissed in the court, today ED guests have entered the Bhilai residence of former Chief Minister, Congress General Secretary Bhupesh Baghel this morning.”

“If someone is trying to stop Congress in Punjab with this conspiracy, then it is a misunderstanding,” it further reacted at 9.28 a.m.

The raids were reportedly conducted in connection with alleged financial irregularities and money laundering cases, including a notorious liquor scam.

Bhupesh Baghel, who is facing accusations of irregularities in the liquor trade during his tenure, has consistently denied these allegations.

This is not the first time that the ED has conducted a search operation in Chhattisgarh in a case related to Baghel. Earlier in 2023, when the state was poll-bound, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had conducted searches at the premises of Baghel’s political adviser Vinod Verma and two Officers on Special Duty (OSDs) in the Raipur and Durg districts.

The ED team is delving deeper into the matter, analysing documents and evidence to determine the next steps.

The ace agency has not yet made any official statement on Monday morning’s raid, nor has the former chief minister reacted to it.

During ED raids conducted on political adviser Vinod Verma’s residence earlier in 2023, Baghel had expressed concerns at a press conference, saying that more such raids might be conducted against his close associates to disrupt his government’s functioning.

Back in 2023, the ED claimed that forensic analysis and a statement by a ‘cash courier’ led to allegations that Mahadev App promoters paid Rs 508 crore to Bhupesh Baghel. The ED had asserted that Mahadev betting App promoters Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal had paid bribes worth Rs 508 crore to the former Chief Minister. In 2023, the ED conducted raids in Chhattisgarh against money laundering networks linked to the Mahadev online betting app, which is being investigated under the anti-money laundering law based on intelligence indicating the movement of substantial cash.