Bhupesh Baghel’s residence in Bhillai was raided in connection to a money laundering case against his son, officials said. It was also reported that some activists surrounded the ED officials and a scuffle broke out between the police and them.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel’s house on Monday finding around Rs 33 lakhs from his residence where he lives with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and daughters. Reportedly, the ED vehicle came under attack as stones were thrown in its direction while they were leaving Baghel’s house.
The former Chhattisgarh chief minister’s residence in Bhillai was raided in connection to a money laundering case against his son, officials said. It was also reported that some activists surrounded the ED officials and a scuffle broke out between the police and them.
After the raid, in a statement, Baghel said that the ED found three things from his house including a pen drive, papers of SAIL company and about Rs 33 lakhs of cash, which he said was “not a very big amount”.
“I was reading the newspaper and having a cup of tea when the ED team arrived. I told them that they were welcome and that I had been waiting for them for months and years. My wife, three daughters, son, daughter-in-law, grandsons and granddaughters live here. We are into farming. In this joint family, we farm on 140 acres of land…We had what we had declared. They examined it. Rs 33 Lakhs cash was found from different people, from my wife, son, daughter-in-law and daughters,” Baghel said.
“We also do farming and have a dairy. This included streedhan too. We told them that we would give them in writing, that they found Rs 30-33 Lakhs from our house. An atmosphere was created that note counting machines had been brought…I don’t think this is a very big amount…It is clear that now asking questions in Vidhan Sabha has become a crime. Kawasi Lakhma asked questions and ED was at his residence within 8 days…He was jailed within 8 days. I asked Vijay Sharma about the residence for the poor. On the fourth day, they (ED) arrived at my residence,” he added.
Notably, the car that was attacked was of the deputy director of ED and legal action is being taken in regard to the incident.
