The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday arrested Chhattisgarh Congress MLA and former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma in connection with an alleged liquor scam estimated to be around Rs 2,161 crore, officials said. The leader however said that he is being implicated in a false case. The federal agency had on December 28 raided the premises of the ex-minister and his son Harish Lakhma in Raipur, Sukma and Dhamtari districts of the state as part of a money laundering investigation into the case.
The ED subsequently questioned Lakhma (71) and his son in the case. Lakhma, who was called for questioning to the ED office in the Pachpedi Naka area on Wednesday, has been arrested, official sources said. The legislator was produced in a court here after his medical examination.
Talking to reporters before entering the courtroom, Lakhma said, “Neither any document nor a single penny was found during the raids (at his premises by ED). I am being sent to jail in a false case.”
Advocate Saurabh Pandey, representing ED, said, "We found some evidence regarding the ongoing investigation into the liquor scam - Arvind Singh (accused) in his statement said that Kawasi Lakhma was paid Rs 50 Lakhs per month by liquor cartel. Arun Pati Tripathi's (arrested former IAS officer) statement also reveals that he (Kawasi Lakhma) was provided an additional Rs 1.50 Crores to these Rs 50 Lakhs by the liquor cartel. So, he was being given Rs 2 Crores as confirmed by the statements of two people. So, considering that the scam ran for 36 months, the total proceeds of the crime was around Rs 72 Crores."
"Further investigation was done and excise officers Iqbal Khan and Dewangan confirmed that they used to arrange money and send to him...Searches were held on the premises of Jagannath Sahu, searches were also held on his son's premises and some digital evidence was found. Based on the analysis of the digital evidence, it was found that these Rs 2 Crores was used in the building of his son's house in Sukma as well as the Congress office in Sukma. So, the proceeds of crime were attempted to be portrayed as untainted property...He (Kawasi Lakhma) was arrested at 3 pm today. The Court has granted us his custodial remand till 21st January 2025..."