Retired IAS Officer Arrested in Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam
Retired Niranjan Das arrested in Rs 2,500 crore fraud.
The Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offences Wing (ACB/EOW) arrested retired IAS officer Niranjan Das on Thursday, marking another high-profile takedown in the sprawling Rs 2,500 crore liquor scam that rocked the state during the previous Congress regime. Das, who served as commissioner of the state excise department, is accused of colluding with a criminal syndicate to siphon off illicit gains through rigged tenders, unauthorized liquor sales, and policy manipulations.
Officials revealed that Das allegedly pocketed crores in bribes for facilitating the sale of unaccounted liquor via government outlets, orchestrating officer transfers, and aiding the introduction of a flawed excise policy that favored the cartel. As a Chhattisgarh cadre officer elevated to the IAS, Das becomes the second retired bureaucrat netted in the probe, following the earlier arrest of former chief secretary Vivek Dhand. He is slated to appear in a Raipur court on Friday, where prosecutors will seek extended custody to unravel his full involvement.
The scandal, which unfolded between 2019 and 2022 under the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government, allegedly involved a syndicate extorting massive commissions from liquor sales and bypassing regulations through state-run shops. The ACB/EOW kicked off its investigation with an FIR on January 17, 2024—mere weeks after the BJP ousted Congress in the 2023 polls—naming 70 individuals and firms, including ex-excise minister Kawasi Lakhma. To date, the agency has submitted one main chargesheet and four supplements, leading to over a dozen arrests.
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Parallelly, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is dissecting the money laundering angle, having already jailed several key figures: Chaitanya Baghel, son of the former chief minister, in July; Lakhma in January; businessman Anwar Dhebar; ex-IAS officer Anil Tuteja; and Indian Telecom Service officer Arunpati Tripathi. The ED's findings paint a picture of systemic graft, with the syndicate allegedly laundering proceeds through shell companies and hawala networks.
This latest arrest intensifies scrutiny on the erstwhile administration, with opposition parties hailing it as a step toward accountability while Congress leaders decry it as political vendetta. As investigations deepen, the scam's tentacles—spanning bureaucracy, politics, and business—threaten to ensnare more players, underscoring Chhattisgarh's battle against entrenched corruption in its liquor trade.
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