Bhupesh Baghel's son faces ED heat as agency seizes 355 plots worth Rs 61 crore

The ED took possession of 355 plots at Vitthal Greens linked to Chaitanya Baghel. Bhupesh Baghel questioned the timing as tribunal proceedings over the properties continued.Chaitanya Baghel with Bhupesh BaghelRaipur,Nov 15, 2026 23:58 ISTThe Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken possession of 355 plots worth approximately Rs 61 crore at a real estate project linked to Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, in connection with an alleged Rs 2,883-crore liquor scam in the state. Bhupesh Baghel has questioned the timing and purpose of the agency's action.The ED team reached Vitthal Greens, a real estate project in the Durg district, around 3 pm on Saturday and took possession of the 355 plots. Following the action, officials pasted a notice at the colony's main entrance and installed a large board identifying the properties taken into possession.According to ED officials present at the site, the project has a total of 385 plots. Of these, 30 had already been sold and were excluded from the action. The agency took possession of the remaining 355 plots, including one commercial plot. The notice displayed at the site contains details of the properties and the plots covered by the action.The seized properties are estimated to be worth around Rs 61 crore. The action forms part of the ED's money laundering investigation into the alleged liquor scam, which reportedly involved more than Rs 2,883 crore. The ED alleges that properties were purchased using proceeds of the alleged illegal liquor trade. The agency's action against the plots at Vitthal Greens is linked to its investigation into assets associated with Chaitanya Baghel.The alleged illegal operation and organised scam are believed to have taken place primarily between 2019 and 2023, during the previous Congress government in Chhattisgarh. These remain allegations by the investigating agency, and the matter is subject to judicial proceedings.BHUPESH BAGHEL QUESTIONS ED ACTION Reacting to the ED's action, Bhupesh Baghel questioned the agency's motives and timing. He alleged that the action was intended to generate publicity rather than serve a substantive investigative purpose."Does the ED have any other work? They have pasted the notice just to generate news. They want to show Nitin Nabin that they are very active. The court had already said that they would seize these properties. We then approached the tribunal, and the hearing is scheduled for tomorrow. To show that they are doing something, they hurriedly carried out this action yesterday. They are only trying to defame me," Baghel said.The ED's action comes amid ongoing proceedings concerning the properties. Baghel's remarks indicate that the matter has also been taken to the tribunal, where a hearing is scheduled for the following day, according to his statement.- Ends