Ranchi: A senior bureaucrat in Jharkhand has been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) for his alleged involvement in a liquor scam. Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer Vinay Kumar Chaube was arrested after a sustained round of questioning. Joint Excise Commissioner Gajendra Singh has also been called to the ACB office for questioning.
Sources disclosed that a new excise policy based on the Chhattisgarh model was prepared for Jharkhand in 2022 after it was said that the previous policy was a flop in terms of revenue generation. Following the introduction of the new policy in Jharkhand, a syndicate got activated in Chhattisgarh that supplied illegal liquor and fake holograms to Jharkhand, which led to high revenue loss.
Following a liquor scam coming to light in Chhattisgarh and a case being registered, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) lodged a formal entry of complaint and questioned Chaube, who was then Secretary (Excise), along with Gajendra Singh in Raipur. The ED had also carried out searches at their residences. The complainant in the matter was Vikas Singh, who is a resident of Argoda in Ranchi.
In Chhattisgarh, the matter is being probed by the Economic Offences Wing besides the ED. The scam is said to be worth Rs 2,000 crore. Several businessmen and officers have been arrested in the case.
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