A special court in Raipur has remanded former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers Alok Shukla and Anil Tuteja to the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) custody for four weeks in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the alleged Nagrik Apurti Nigam (NAN) scam. The NAN, also known as the Chhattisgarh State Civil Supplies Corporation, is responsible for managing the state's Public Distribution System (PDS), which provides subsidised essential commodities like rice and salt to low-income families. The case involves accusations of financial irregularities and procurement of substandard goods during their tenure.

Shukla, 65, and Tuteja, 62, surrendered before the court of Special Judge Damarudhar Chouhan under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on Monday. Following their formal arrest by the ED, the agency sought custody for interrogation. ED lawyer Saurabh Kumar Pande confirmed that the duo would be transported to Delhi for questioning. Tuteja, already in judicial custody for a separate Rs 2,000 crore liquor scam case since his arrest in April last year, was produced via a warrant before surrendering in this matter.

The remand follows a Supreme Court ruling last week that revoked their anticipatory bail and permitted ED custody for four weeks, after which they must be released unless required in other cases, subject to trial court conditions. The apex court granted them one week to surrender. Applications for surrender were filed on September 19 for both—Shukla personally and Tuteja through representation—marking the start of the custody period. They are scheduled to appear in court again on October 16.

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The NAN scam came to light in February 2015 under the then Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, when Chhattisgarh's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) raided 25 premises linked to the corporation. Authorities seized Rs 3.64 crore in unaccounted cash and found samples of rice and salt to be substandard and unfit for consumption.

In 2019, the ED initiated a money laundering investigation based on the state's FIR and chargesheet, naming 18 accused, including Shukla as chairman and Tuteja as managing director of NAN at the time. The probe alleges laundering of proceeds from the scam, highlighting vulnerabilities in public procurement systems.

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