Raipur, June 13 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has provisionally attached assets worth Rs 6.15 crore in connection with the ongoing investigation into the Chhattisgarh liquor scam, marking a significant development in one of the state’s largest corruption probes.
The attached properties include the Congress Bhawan in Sukma, a residential house in Raipur belonging to former Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma, and another residence in Sukma registered in the name of his son, Harish Lakhma.
According to the ED, these properties were constructed using proceeds of crime generated through an alleged liquor syndicate that operated between 2019 and 2022.
The agency claims that Kawasi Lakhma received Rs 2 crore per month during this period, accumulating Rs 72 crore in illicit gains.
Of this, Rs 68 lakh was allegedly used to build the Congress office in Sukma, Rs 1.4 crore for his son's residence, and Rs 2.24 crore for his own house in Raipur.
This is the first time the ED has attached a political party’s office under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The Congress party has strongly objected to the move, calling it a politically motivated action by the BJP-led central government.
Party leaders have stated they will provide documentation to prove that the Sukma office was built with legitimate funds.
The ED's investigation stems from an FIR filed by the Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau and Economic Offences Wing, which alleged that a criminal syndicate manipulated the state's excise policies to siphon off public funds.
The scam is believed to have caused a loss of over Rs 2,161 crore to the state exchequer. The agency has previously attached properties worth nearly Rs 205 crore in the same case.
Kawasi Lakhma, a six-time MLA from Konta and former excise minister under the Bhupesh Baghel government, has been in judicial custody since January 2025.
His arrest followed raids conducted in Raipur, Sukma, and Dhamtari in December 2024. The ED maintains that Lakhma played a central role in facilitating the scam by altering excise policies and enabling illegal liquor trade. Further investigation is ongoing.
The case continues to stir political tensions in Chhattisgarh as the ED expands its probe into the financial and administrative network behind the alleged scam.
--IANS
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