The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a cheating and criminal conspiracy case with the Uttar Pradesh’s Special Task Force (STF), against senior officials, including a special secretary and commissioner, of the Chhattisgarh excise department and a Noida-based firm in connection with the an alleged liquor ‘scam’.
The FIR, registered on Sunday in a police station at Greater Noida, says that a company based in Noida was allegedly illegally granted tender to supply holograms, a safety feature to ensure the authenticated liquor is sold, to the excise department, Chhattisgarh.
“Investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has revealed that one company was illegally granted tender to supply holograms to the excise department. The company was not eligible to participate in the tender process, but in connivance with the company owners, these senior excise officials modified the tender conditions and illegally alloted the tender to the company,” reads the FIR.
It said, “These officials also committed to supply unaccounted duplicate holograms to carry out a sinister crime of selling illegal country liquor bottles from state-run shops in Chhattisgarh.”
The ED claimed that the holograms were made at a Noida factory and transported to Chhattisgarh as per the instructions from some “liquor syndicate” leaders. “The syndicate, allotted the contract of supplying 80 crore holograms in five years at a highly inflated price to the company in return of on-demand supply of duplicate hologram,” the FIR read.
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The ED also said that during a search operation in 2021, duplicate holograms were seized from the Noida factory of the firm and delivery of these items have been corroborated in the statements.
Excise and STF officials were unavailable for comment on the matter.
