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 Chief Minister, in connection with the multi-crore liquor scam investigation.
According to ED lawyer Saurabh Kumar Pande, Chaurasia was taken into custody late on Tuesday evening and produced before a special court on Wednesday.
Chaurasia, a suspended State Administrative Service officer, is already an accused in the alleged coal levy scam and was arrested in that case in 2022. She was later released on bail in May this year following orders from the Supreme Court.
The ED has intensified its crackdown in the liquor scam case over the past year. Earlier, Congress MLA and former Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma was arrested by the agency on January 15. Additionally, Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, was arrested by the ED on July 18, 2025, and is currently in judicial custody.
According to the central agency, the alleged liquor scam was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 during the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government in Chhattisgarh. The scam allegedly resulted in a loss of more than Rs2,500 crore to the state exchequer, while generating substantial illegal proceeds for members of the liquor syndicate.
In an ED statement issued on November 13, the agency claimed that Chaitanya Baghel was positioned at the apex of the liquor syndicate and was responsible for maintaining accounts of the illicit funds allegedly collected by the network.
Further investigation into the money laundering trail and the role of other accused persons is ongoing, ED officials said.
