BHOPAL: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted raids at 11 locations across three districts of Madhya Pradesh—Bhopal, Indore, and Mandsaur—in connection with a ₹49.42 crore fraud case.The searches, carried out at the premises of liquor contractors and others, are part of a money laundering probe initiated by the ED based on an existing FIR filed by the state police’s Anti-Corruption Wing.The FIR names liquor contractors and others for allegedly causing a loss of over ₹49.42 crore to the government exchequer through forgery and manipulation of treasury challans. It also pertains to the unlawful acquisition of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for liquor licenses during the financial years 2015–16 to 2017–18.The ongoing probe has revealed that the accused contractors deposited only small amounts in banks but later forged and manipulated the challans by inflating the amount in words while leaving the numerical figures unchanged.The contractors then submitted the forged challan documents to excise officers to obtain liquor licenses illegally.While no arrests have been made so far, the ED is examining financial transactions and documents seized during the raids to track the money trail.
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