The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested former Chhattisgarh IAS officer Niranjan Das (IAS:1987:CG) for his alleged role in the liquor scam. The PMLA court in Raipur sent him to the ED’s custody after being produced before it.
Police investigations had unearthed the liquor scam that caused a massive loss to the state exchequer and generated more than Rs 2,500 crore of Proceeds of Crime (POC), through scheduled offences.
The ED investigation has revealed that the loot of public exchequer began after Das was granted additional charge of the Excise Commissioner and Secretary, Excise Department. According to the ED, it was done solely to allegedly facilitate the commission of a liquor scam by the syndicate.
According to the ED probe report, Das’s role was central to the commission of the predicate offence of making the loot of state resources possible in a blatant manner.
The ED came out with a disturbing disclosure, saying that Das personally collected an amount of Rs 18 crore of POC. Besides, evidence collected in the form of digital records, seized records, and written statements established that the IAS officer was an active partner of the liquor syndicate.
The investigation found that Das allowed the syndicate to operate unchecked in exchange for his monthly payment of Rs 50 lakh and thus facilitated the loot of government revenues.
The ED alleged that Das used to direct field officers to increase the sale of unaccounted kacha/unaccounted illicit liquor in their respective jurisdictions for a hefty amount.
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