Liquor scam: ACB issues notices to 7 linked to companies from Maha, Guj

Ranchi: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has intensified its investigation into the Jharkhand liquor scam by issuing notices to seven individuals associated with two private companies from Gujarat and Maharashtra.

On Tuesday, the ACB summoned Bipin Jadavbhai Parmar, Mahesh Shedge, Paresh Abhaysinh Thakor, and Bikramsinh Abhisinh Thakor, all linked to Gujarat-based Vision Hospitality Service and Consultant, for questioning.

Additionally, notices under Section 41A of the CrPC have been served to Jagan Tukaram Desai, Kamal Jagan Desai, and Sheetal Jagan Desai, affiliated with Marshan Innovative Security Services Pvt. Ltd., a Maharashtra-based firm.

This development follows Monday’s action by the ACB, where five other individuals—Dhananjay Kumar, Umashankar Singh, Chhipij Trivedi, Vinay Kumar Singh, and Upendra Sharma—were also summoned under Section 41A for questioning in connection with the same scam.

The scam, estimated to be worth ?33.44 crore, has already led to the arrest of five individuals. On the night of May 22, ACB arrested Sudhir Kumar (Regional Director, RIADA Ranchi and former GM of Operations & Finance at JSBCL), Sudhir Kumar Das (current GM, Finance at JSBCL), and Neeraj Kumar Singh, a representative of Marshan company.

Earlier, on May 20, IAS officer Vinay Choubey and Gajendra Singh were also taken into custody. All five have been presented before the ACB special court and remanded to judicial custody till June 3.

The scam traces back to the end of 2021, when discussions began among liquor traders about a new liquor policy in Jharkhand set to be implemented from 2022–23. It was believed that the Chhattisgarh liquor syndicate would play a key role in shaping the new system.

To support this transition, Jharkhand’s Excise Department appointed Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSML) as a consultant to help boost state liquor revenues. A consultant fee of ?1.25 crore was sanctioned for Arunapati Tripathi for policy drafting.

The new policy was later sent to the Revenue Board for approval. Then-member Amarendra Prasad Singh raised objections, recommending several changes and questioning the efficacy of the consulting firm, noting that it had failed to improve liquor revenues in its home state.

Meanwhile, all individuals who have been served notices by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in connection with the Jharkhand liquor scam are also under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ACB recently summoned Dhananjay Kumar, Umashankar Singh, Shipij Trivedi, Vinay Kumar Singh, and Upendra Kumar for questioning in relation to the ongoing corruption probe.

The ED had earlier registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) numbered ECIR/RNZO/20/2024 on October 14, 2024, in connection with the liquor scam. Following this, on October 29, 2024, the agency conducted raids at the premises of several individuals, including IAS officer Vinay Choubey. The list of those targeted in the raids included Gajendra Singh, Shipij Trivedi, Upendra Sharma, Dhananjay Kumar, Umashankar Singh, Ashish Rathore, and N Uday Kumar.

Among those arrested by the ACB on May 20 in connection with its own FIR are Vinay Choubey, the former Secretary of the Excise Department, and Gajendra Singh, Joint Commissioner in the same department. Both were already under ED’s scrutiny prior to their arrest. The five individuals summoned subsequently by the ACB for questioning are also part of the ED’s investigation into the multi-crore liquor scam.