The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday conducted fresh raids at the residence of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in connection with a money laundering investigation against his son Chaitanya Baghel, allegedly linked to a ₹2,000 crore liquor scam.
The raids took place at their home in Bhilai town under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following what officials described as new evidence in the ongoing probe.
Bhupesh Baghel&rsquo;s office, through a post on social media, linked the timing of the ED action to political pressure, pointing out that the raid came just hours before the Congress planned to raise the tree felling issue in Raigarh during the final day of the Monsoon Session of the state Assembly.
This is not the first time Chaitanya Baghel has been under the scanner. Similar ED action was taken in March 2024, where he was suspected of receiving proceeds from the alleged scam.
Earlier this year, Bhupesh Baghel was also raided by the CBI in connection with the Mahadev betting app case, which he had then also dismissed as politically timed&mdash;coinciding with the Prime Minister&rsquo;s visit to Chhattisgarh.
Recently, ACB and EOW raided 39 locations tied to the liquor scam across Durg-Bhilai, Dhamtari, and Mahasamund, recovering ₹90 lakh in cash, gold, silver, and digital evidence.
As per the ED and ACB&rsquo;s findings, between 2019 and 2022, a network of government officers and private businessmen allegedly ran a fake liquor distribution operation using counterfeit holograms, resulting in massive losses to the state exchequer.
[Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.]

ED raids Chaitanya Baghel’s residence; ex-CM alleges political motive behind action

ED Raids Ex-CM Baghel’s Home in Liquor Scam

ED raids Chaitanya Baghel’s residence; ex-CM alleges political motive behind action

July 18, 2025 | 10:43 IST