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ED arrests ex-CMO deputy secretary Soumya Chaurasia in Chhattisgarh liquor scam
Soumya Chaurasia was arrested late on Tuesday evening and produced before a special court on Wednesday
RAIPUR: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday arrested Soumya Chaurasia, who served as deputy secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) during Bhupesh Baghel’s tenure as CM, in conection with the multi-crore liquor scam probe.
Chaurasia was arrested late on Tuesday evening and produced before a special court on Wednesday, said ED lawyer Saurabh Kumar Pande.
Chaurasia, a suspended state administrative service officer, is also an accused in the alleged coal levy scam and was arrested in the case in 2022. She was released from jail on bail in May this year on the orders of the Supreme Court.
ED arrested Congress MLA and former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma on January 15 this year. The former chief minister’s son, Chaitanya Baghel, was arrested on July 18 as part of ED’s money-laundering probe and continues to remain in custody.
According to ED,
Chaitanya Baghel was arrested by the ED on 18.07.2025 and is presently in judicial custody.
According to the agency, the alleged liquor scam was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 during the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government, causing a loss of over ₹2,500 crore to the state exchequer and generating illegal gains for members of the liquor syndicate.
According to an ED statement on Nov 13, Chaitanya Baghel was positioned at the apex of the alleged liquor syndicate and he was responsible for maintaining the accounts of all illicit funds allegedly collected by the syndicate.
