ED Charges Congress Treasurer Ramgopal Agarwal, Attaches ₹9.06 Cr Assets
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In a massive escalation of its ongoing probe into the multi-crore liquor syndicate in Chhattisgarh, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted a fresh supplementary prosecution complaint against Ram Gopal Agarwal, former treasurer of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC). Filed before the Special PMLA Court in Raipur by the central financial watchdog's Raipur Zonal Office, the chargesheet details deep-rooted financial conduits funnelling proceeds of crime into political apparatuses. Following Agarwal's arrest on August 11, 2026, the central agency also executed a provisional attachment order seizing prime real estate assets valued at ₹9.06 crore linked directly to him, tightening the legal net around the previous state administration's political leadership.
₹2,883 Crore Proceeds of Crime: How the Liquor Syndicate Controlled the State Machinery
The extensive financial investigation, originally stemming from an FIR registered by Raipur's Economic Offences Wing and Anti-Corruption Bureau (EOW/ACB), lays bare a state-wide racket:
Syndicate-Run Parallel Network: Between 2019 and 2023, an organized syndicate gained de facto control over the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL) and the state Excise Department, illegally generating more than ₹2,883 crore in proceeds of crime.
Modus Operandi of Illicit Collection: Unlawful commissions were systematically collected from four primary avenues—unaccounted "kacha" country liquor sold via government outlets using counterfeit holographic security labels, extortionate annual kickbacks from distillery owners, commission on legal supplies, and the weaponized FL-10A licensing framework for foreign liquor import.
Prominent Figures Named: The original prosecution complaints established criminal conspiracy charges against influential figures, including former bureaucrat Anil Tuteja, Anwar Dhebar, former telecom officer Arun Pati Tripathi, and former Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma.
Rajiv Bhavan Channel: Over ₹860 Crore Cash Delivered to Congress Headquarters
The supplementary chargesheet details the exact cash logistics that allegedly diverted illicit collections into party coffers:
Key Couriers and Cash Transit: Investigators established that massive cash tranches were handled by syndicate handler Laxmi Narayan Bansal, alias Pappu Bansal, who coordinated deliveries directly to the Congress headquarters at Rajiv Bhavan in Shankar Nagar, Raipur, acting on Ramgopal Agarwal’s orders.
Accounting Trail at Party Office: The illicit cash was received at Rajiv Bhavan by Devendra Dadsena, an accountant operating under the direct command of Agarwal.
Massive Cash Flow and Direct Control: Federal financial auditors uncovered that between ₹860 crore and ₹880 crore in unaccounted liquor scam cash was funneled through this pipeline, with approximately ₹72 crore kept under the personal control, custody, and deployment of Agarwal.
Corroborating Evidence: The forensic findings are substantiated by WhatsApp logs, encrypted digital ledgers, cell tower analysis, call detail records (CDRs), and formal confessions recorded under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Properties Attached in Raipur as Cumulative Seizures Cross ₹610 Crore
The financial dragnet has seized significant residential holdings as broader asset recovery figures swell:
₹9.06 Crore Assets Attached: The ED provisionally attached two high-value residential flats owned by Agarwal, situated in the prime localities of Anupam Nagar and Katora Talab in Raipur.
Expanding Case Dossier: With this latest submission, the federal agency has now filed one primary chargesheet and six supplementary chargesheets in the Chhattisgarh liquor probe.
Nine Arrests and Total Attached Wealth: Total arrests in the investigation have reached nine—including former minister Kawasi Lakhma, Anil Tuteja, Anwar Dhebar, Arun Pati Tripathi, and Chaitanya Baghel—pushing total attached and confiscated assets from ₹601.28 crore to approximately ₹610.34 crore as further investigations continue.
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