Jharkhand ACB interrogates IAS officer in liquor scam

THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK

Ranchi, May 20: A team from the Jharkhand Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), investigating the alleged liquor scam, brought IAS officer Vinay Chaubey to its office around 11 a.m. today for questioning. Chaubey was the Secretary of the Excise Department at the time when the alleged scam is believed to have taken place.

Following the registration of an FIR by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Chhattisgarh, the ACB in Jharkhand, after obtaining the necessary permission from the state government, had initiated a preliminary enquiry (PE) into the alleged scam. Sources revealed that after the initial probe, a regular FIR was filed with government approval, and Vinay Chaubey is now being interrogated in connection with that case.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Chhattisgarh had earlier registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) against Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited and launched an investigation. The ED found that officials from the corporation had colluded with liquor traders to form a syndicate, causing financial losses to the Chhattisgarh government. Several actions were taken by the ED against IAS officers and liquor businessmen involved in the case.

Also Read- Heavy rainfall, thunderstorms expected over Jharkhand 

During the investigation, the ED uncovered that the same syndicate responsible for the liquor scam in Chhattisgarh was also behind the formulation of the new excise policy in Jharkhand, which allegedly facilitated a similar scam there. Based on this information, the Chhattisgarh ED summoned Vinay Chaubey for questioning.

Reportedly, Chaubey claimed innocence during his interrogation by the Chhattisgarh ED, stating that the new excise policy was implemented with the government’s approval and that he was not personally responsible for any wrongdoing.

Subsequently, a resident of Jharkhand filed an FIR with the Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing, alleging that the same liquor syndicate from Chhattisgarh had orchestrated a planned scam in Jharkhand. The ED in Jharkhand registered this FIR as an ECIR and began its own investigation. In October 2024, the ED conducted raids at the residences and premises of Vinay Chaubey, Gajendra Singh, and others linked to the case.