₹16 Lakh Cash Seized in Raipur, 15 Devices Confiscated in Durg Liquor Scam Probe

In an intensive crackdown on suspected financial irregularities and illicit laundering channels in Chhattisgarh, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out coordinated search operations on Tuesday across residential and commercial premises of two prominent business figures in Raipur and Durg districts. Federal investigating teams targeted Sushil Villa located in Ravi Nagar, Raipur—associated with real estate and jewelry dealer Nitin Daga—while simultaneously searching the residential property of businessman Gulshan Kumar Baghel in Rishabh Green City, Durg, alongside his commercial office in Malviya Nagar, Raipur. The day-long search operation concluded late in the evening with substantial physical and digital seizures, including ₹16 lakh in unaccounted currency from Daga’s residence and an array of 15 smartphones, laptops, and incriminating transaction ledgers from Baghel's custody.Liquor Scam Trail Under Scanner: Investigating Alleged ₹30 Crore Cash Delivery to BureaucratFederal investigators are actively examining whether financial movements linked to Gulshan Kumar Baghel connect directly to illicit proceeds generated from the multi-crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam:Siphoned Proceeds and Hawala Channels: Agency officials are scrutinizing suspicious money trails and off-the-books transactions suspected of being channeled through transport contracts and shell entities to clean illicit syndicate profits.₹30 Crore Transaction Scrutiny: Official sources indicate that federal teams are probing specific intelligence regarding the coordinated physical delivery of approximately ₹30 crore in kickback funds allegedly routed toward a female administrative officer.Corporate Entity Profiles: Investigators have seized incorporation files, balance sheets, and audit registers linked to various operational enterprises managed by Baghel, notably including Baghel Corporate Private Limited, to verify the ultimate source of corporate investments.Multiple Digital Devices Seized in Durg: Unpacking Business Operations and Fraud HistoryThe enforcement action at Gulshan Baghel's Durg residence and Raipur corporate headquarters has brought his past controversies back into focus:Forensic Examination of Electronics: The 15 confiscated mobile handsets and laptops have been routed for technical extraction to recover erased communication threads, call metadata, encrypted chat transcripts, and hidden banking spreadsheets.Influence-Peddling Allegations: Baghel has previously faced criminal allegations for leveraging purported proximity and claiming familial ties to former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to broker favors and influence administrative circles.Prior Incarceration for Recruitment Fraud: The businessman was earlier arrested and sent to jail in connection with a high-profile employment scam, wherein job seekers were duped out of substantial sums under false promises of securing government placements as yoga instructors.Cash Seizure at Ravi Nagar: Financial Books of Jeweler and Land Dealer Nitin Daga Under AuditConcurrently, the federal agency focused its scrutiny on real estate and bullion deals executed through Raipur's commercial networks:Search at Sushil Villa: Search teams stationed at Nitin Daga's Ravi Nagar property conducted detailed valuation audits of private vaults, bank locker keys, and high-value jewelry inventories throughout the day.Unaccounted Currency Recovery: Sleuths formally seized ₹16 lakh (1.6 million rupees) in physical cash after the occupants failed to provide immediate evidentiary accounting or source records for the liquid reserves.Property Registration Deeds Impounded: Investigating officers gathered sale deeds, power-of-attorney documents, and transaction slips related to prime land parcels across Raipur to determine whether unaccounted cash proceeds from third-party networks were parked into urban real estate.