Chhattisgarh businessman Siddharth Singhania arrested in Jharkhand liquor scam

Ranchi: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested Chhattisgarh-based businessman Siddharth Singhania in connection with the multi-crore Jharkhand liquor scam.

Singhania was apprehended during a raid conducted by the Jharkhand ACB near Raipur on Thursday.

Following his arrest, he was produced in a local court in Chhattisgarh. The agency is now preparing to bring him to Ranchi on a transit remand for further interrogation.

According to officials, the ACB had earlier obtained an arrest warrant against Singhania from a special court in Ranchi on June 12.

Earlier, he had been issued several summonses to appear for questioning, but he failed to respond or present himself before the investigators.

The case took a turn during an earlier raid by the Chhattisgarh ACB at Singhania’s residence in connection with the Chhattisgarh liquor scam.

During the search, officials recovered a diary that reportedly contained explosive details pointing to a larger conspiracy involving a liquor syndicate operating in Jharkhand.

The diary allegedly outlined the syndicate’s strategy for managing the liquor trade in Jharkhand and included plans to “identify and manage” those who are posing a threat to its operations in the state.

So far, the ACB’s probe in Jharkhand has uncovered a scam worth Rs 38 crore. A total of 16 individuals have been named in the case, including high-ranking officials and private sector operatives.

Seven people have already been arrested, including senior IAS officer Vinay Kumar Chaubey, retired IAS officer Amit Prakash, and Jharkhand Administrative Service officer Gajendra Singh.

On Tuesday, the ACB secured arrest warrants against seven more individuals from Gujarat and Maharashtra believed to be linked to the scam.

The agency has also issued a warrant earlier against Ranchi-based automobile businessman Vinay Kumar Singh, who similarly failed to appear for questioning despite being served notice.

With fresh arrests and warrants, the ACB’s crackdown on the liquor syndicate continues to widen, exposing a nexus involving businessmen, bureaucrats, and companies.

–IANS