The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday [May 12, 2023] arrested Arun Pati Tripathi, Special Secretary at the Department of Excise and the managing director (MD) of Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL) in connection with the alleged ₹2,000-crore liquor scam in the State.
Mr. Tripathi, an Indian Telecommunication Service or ITS officer, was produced before a court in Raipur in the evening. While the agency had asked for a 10-day remand for Mr. Tripathi, the court ordered police detention of three days, i.e. up to May 15.
He is the fourth person and the first government official arrested in connection with the alleged scam that was run by a “syndicate comprising high-level State government officials, private persons and political executives of the State government”, according to the ED.
