New Delhi [India], December 31 (HBTV): Senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma allegedly received substantial monthly cash payments derived from the proceeds of crime generated in the purported INR 2,161 crore liquor scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Monday.

According to the ED, Kawasi Lakhma was a primary recipient of cash proceeds during his tenure as excise minister in the previous Congress-led government in Chhattisgarh. The agency’s investigation into the liquor scam, spanning 2019 to 2022, revealed that illegal commissions were generated through multiple avenues.

The ED stated that bribes were collected from distillers for each 'case' of liquor procured by the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL), the state entity responsible for the purchase and sale of liquor. Another method involved the sale of unaccounted ‘kacha off-the-books’ country liquor. The agency claimed that no revenue from these sales reached the State Exchequer, with the entire proceeds being pocketed by the syndicate. This illegal liquor was reportedly sold from state-run shops.

‘Bribes were taken from distillers to allow them to form a cartel with fixed market shares. These cartels also introduced holders to earn in the foreign liquor segment,’ the ED stated.

These revelations came two days after the ED’s Raipur unit conducted search operations on December 28 at seven premises in Raipur, Dhamtari, and Sukma districts under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The searches included the residential premises of Kawasi Lakhma, a six-time Congress MLA, his son Harish Lakhma, and their close associates.

As a result of the operation, the ED claimed to have gathered evidence of the utilization of cash proceeds of crime by Kawasi Lakhma during the period of the alleged scam. Additionally, multiple digital devices believed to contain incriminating records were recovered and seized.

The ED’s earlier investigations revealed that a liquor syndicate, including Anwar Dhebar, Anil Tuteja, and others, operated in Chhattisgarh. In connection with the case, properties worth INR 205 crore have already been attached under an attachment order. To date, five individuals have been arrested, and a prosecution complaint along with two supplementary chargesheets have been filed. Cognizance of these charges has been taken by the special PMLA court in Raipur. (ANI)