A special PMLA court in Raipur on Wednesday granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) a three-day custodial remand of suspended Chhattisgarh officer Saumya Chaurasia. Chaurasia, a former deputy secretary to ex-chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, was arrested by the federal agency on Tuesday in connection with the alleged ₹3,200-crore liquor scam.
Allegations and Evidence Presented by ED
The ED, represented by counsel Saurabh Pande, argued in court that custodial interrogation was crucial to trace the complex money trail. The agency submitted that the total estimated proceeds of crime linked to Saumya Chaurasia stand at ₹115 crore.
Pande detailed the evidence, stating that diary entries indicate ₹43.50 crore from the liquor scam reached Chaurasia. Statements from an alleged accused, Lakshminarayan Bansal, claim money was sent to various people on Chaurasia's instructions, including to herself. Another accused, K K Srivastava, reportedly told the ED he received ₹72 crore from Bansal on Chaurasia's orders, which was then transferred via hawala channels.
"Where has this hawala amount gone, that needs to be interrogated on," Pande told the court. The ED also cited the statement of Chaurasia's alleged courier boy, Nikhil Chandrakar, who claimed to have collected ₹5 crore in cash.
Digital Evidence and Syndicate Operation
The agency informed the court it possesses digital evidence, including conversations and chats that mention the flow of money from the liquor scam and show Chaurasia's contact with individuals involved in the liquor trade. The ED argued that the interrogation is essential to confront her with these records and verify the roles of other businessmen and officials.
According to the probe agency, an alleged "liquor syndicate" operated from 2019 to 2023, manipulating the excise policy during the previous Congress government. The syndicate is accused of using fake holograms to sell liquor outside the official system, causing a tax loss of thousands of crores.
The ED also pointed to overlapping evidence from the ongoing coal levy probe, including a diary with entries naming Anwar Dhebar and retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja.
Defense Argument and Past Case
Chaurasia's lawyer, Harshvardhan Parghania, opposed the remand plea, arguing that the ED was "stretching" one diary to link multiple cases. He raised doubts on the claims of hawala transfers when the alleged handler has not been arrested.
This marks Chaurasia's second arrest. She had previously spent nearly two-and-a-half years in jail in the coal levy case before the Supreme Court granted her bail six months ago with the condition that she stay outside Chhattisgarh. She has since been residing in Bengaluru.
The court ultimately accepted the ED's request for a three-day remand. Saumya Chaurasia will next be produced before the court on December 19.
Wider Net in the Liquor Scam
The liquor scam investigation has led to several high-profile arrests, including former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, Chaitanya Baghel, retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, businessman Anwar Dhebar, and dozens of excise officials. With the three-day custody, investigators are expected to question Chaurasia intensively about the alleged financial links between the liquor and coal cases, the diary entries, and the money-movement statements provided by ED witnesses.
