The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Anil Tuteja, a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh. Tuteja was taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and is expected to be produced before a magistrate court for his remand.
Background of Anil Tuteja and the Liquor Scam
Anil Tuteja, who topped the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) exam in 1998 and was awarded the IAS in 2003, was posted as the joint secretary in Chhattisgarh’s industry and commerce department. The alleged liquor scam involves allegations of corruption within Chhattisgarh’s liquor industry, implicating officials and influential individuals.
According to the ED, there were irregularities between 2019 and 2022, during which officials of the state-run liquor retailer, CSMCL, allegedly took bribes from distillers. The ED alleges that Anil Tuteja, along with Anwar Dhebar, a liquor businessman, was part of an illegal liquor syndicate in Chhattisgarh and that corruption money was also used for electioneering.
Recent Developments and Fresh Money Laundering Case
In July of last year, the ED filed a chargesheet in the case, claiming that ₹2,161 crore of corruption money was generated in the alleged liquor scam that began in 2019. The ED also alleged that money was illegally collected from every bottle of liquor sold in Chhattisgarh by the syndicate led by Anwar Dhebar and Anil Tuteja.
On April 10, 2024, the ED filed a fresh money laundering case in the alleged liquor scam case after the Supreme Court quashed its earlier FIR, which was based on an Income Tax Department complaint. This fresh case allows the ED to re-investigate the charges.
