Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], March 26 (HBTV): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting raids at the residence of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in Raipur and Bhilai, according to a statement from the office of the former CM.

Baghel was set to travel to Delhi today for the meeting of the All India Congress Committee's 'Drafting Committee' constituted for the AICC meeting scheduled to be held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on April 8 and 9.

In a post on X, the office of Bhupesh Baghel stated, 'Now CBI has come. Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel is scheduled to go to Delhi today for the meeting of the "Drafting Committee" constituted for the AICC meeting to be held in Ahmedabad (Gujarat) on 8 and 9 April. Even before that, CBI has reached Raipur and Bhilai residence.'

Visuals from Baghel’s residence showed a CBI team arriving at the premises.

On March 10, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at the residence of Bhupesh Baghel, his son Chaitanya Baghel, and others in connection with an ongoing probe into the alleged multi-crore liquor scam.

Following the raid, Baghel wrote on X, 'ED has left the house. They found three things in my house: a pen drive containing conversation about a transaction of crores between Manturam and Dr. Puneet Gupta (Dr. Raman Singh's son-in-law); papers of SAIL company linked to Dr. Raman Singh's son, Abhishek Singh.'

He added, 'The total of farming, dairy, Stridhan, and "cash in hand" in the entire joint family is about INR 33 lakh, the account of which will be given to them. The main thing is that ED officials have not been able to provide any ECIR number.'

However, Baghel refuted reports that the ED had summoned his son, Chaitanya Baghel, and alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was orchestrating a 'conspiracy' to defame political leaders.

'No notice has been received, so there is no question of appearing anywhere. We will certainly appear before them once we receive a notice. No notice has been received yet... ED's job is to create a deliberate media hype... Agencies are used to defame other individuals. That is what they have done so far... This is a conspiracy by the BJP to defame leaders,' Baghel told reporters.

The ED has alleged that a cartel of government officials, politicians, and liquor businessmen ran a scheme that illegally collected around INR 2,161 crore from the sale of liquor in the state between 2019 and 2022. The alleged scam involved manipulation of the liquor supply chain, with a cartel controlling the sale and distribution of alcohol through government-run shops.

The agency has previously conducted multiple raids, including on politicians and bureaucrats linked to the former Congress-led government in Chhattisgarh. (ANI)