RAIPUR, April 21: In a significant development, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested retired Chhattisgarh IAS officer Anil Tuteja in connection with a money laundering case linked to a liquor ‘scam’, as reported by the Press Trust of India (PTI).
The former 2003 batch officer from the Economic Offences Wing (EOW)/Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) was detained by the ED from their office in Raipur on Saturday.
Tuteja, along with his son Yash Tuteja, had gone to record their statements in the same case when the arrest took place.
Tuteja was taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is expected to be presented before a magistrate seeking his remand.
Having retired from service just last year, Tuteja’s involvement in this case adds a layer of complexity to the ongoing investigation.
The ED’s action comes after the Supreme Court recently quashed its earlier FIR, which was based on a complaint from the Income Tax Department. Subsequently, the federal agency filed a fresh money laundering case in connection with the alleged liquor scam.
The ED had shared details of its probe with the state EOW/ACB, leading to the registration of a FIR. Upon this development, the ED initiated a new money laundering case, taking cognisance of the complaint.
In July last year, the ED submitted a prosecution complaint in a PMLA court in Raipur, alleging that a staggering amount of ₹2,161 crore of corruption money was generated in the alleged ‘liquor scam’ dating back to 2019 in Chhattisgarh.
The ED contends that this amount should have rightfully gone to the state exchequer.
According to the ED, a criminal syndicate, purportedly led by Anil Tuteja and businessman Anwar Dhebar (the brother of Congress leader and Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar), diverted funds meant for the state exchequer, turning the objectives of the liquor business on their head.
