Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai denied any role of the state government in it and said that it was being conducted by central agency. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted searches at the residence of former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel. The ED has alleged that a cartel of government officials, politicians, and liquor businessmen ran a scheme that illegally collected around Rs 2,161 crore from the sale of liquor in the state between 2019 and 2022. The alleged scam involved manipulation of the liquor supply chain, where a cartel controlled the sale and distribution of alcohol through government-run shops. The raids are underway at a total of 14 locations across ChhattisGarh in the case pertains to alleged irregularities in the liquor trade in Chhatt isgarh, involving alleged suspected illegal commissions and money laundering. Congress MP Manickam Tagore came out in defence of Baghel and alleged that the ED was behaving like the pet dog of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.