Congress leader and former Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate after multiple rounds of questioning for his alleged involvement in the 2000 crore liquor scam.
Raipur, Chhattisgarh: Congress leader & Former Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma was arrested in the Rs 2000 crore liquor scam after multiple rounds of questioning by the ED https://t.co/RKcLNfe3Of pic.twitter.com/DenVeG1boV
— IANS (@ians_india) January 15, 2025
Earlier, the ED had raided the houses of Kawasi Lakhma and his son Harish Lakhma. Harish Lakhma was asked to bring his CA for next round of questioning. Lakhma is to be presented at the Raipur court shortly for his custody order.
Some reports say that Harish Lakhma has been arrested by the ED too.
The ED has stated that they have found evidence of Lakhma’s involvement in the liquor scam-related money transactions. Lakhma had earlier stated that he is not educated and he doesn’t know enough about financial transactions to carry out a scam.
Details of the alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh came out in 2023, with an estimated loss of Rs 2161 crores to the exchequer. A businessman named Anwar Dhebar, who coincidentally happened to be the brother of Congress Mayor (Raipur) Aijaz Dhebar, and a former IAS officer named Anil Tuteja, who was the Joint Secretary in the Department of Industry and Commerce of Chhattisgarh, were said to be the main persons involved. Details of the alleged scam can be read here.
