Chhattisgarh rice milling 'scam': Supplementary chargesheet filed; Tuteja, Dhebar named as accused

Raipur, Oct 6 (PTI) The Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Monday filed a supplementary chargesheet in the alleged rice milling scam, naming former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Anil Tuteja and businessman Anwar Dhebar as accused, officials said.

The 1,500-page supplementary chargesheet was submitted before the Special Court (Prevention of Corruption Act), Raipur, an EOW official here said.

Tuteja and Dhebar, who are currently lodged in Raipur Central Jail, have been charged under Indian Penal Code sections 120B, 384, and 409 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act, the EOW's statement said.

In February 2025, the EOW had filed the first chargesheet in the case against former managing director of Chhattisgarh State Cooperative Marketing Federation Limited (CG-Markfed) Manoj Soni and then treasurer of Chhattisgarh State Rice Millers Association Roshan Chandrakar, it said.

"The investigation suggests that Tuteja, in an alleged criminal conspiracy with office-bearers of Chhattisgarh Rice Millers Association, orchestrated a large-scale illegal collection of money from rice millers under the custom milling process. Through this illicit activity, he is alleged to have gained unlawful benefits worth at least Rs 20 crore," the statement informed.

The EOW stated that district marketing officers (DMO) of Markfed were pressured to hold the bills of rice millers, forcing them to pay illegal commissions of Rs 20 per quintal to secure payments (they received as an incentive from the state government for milling paddy into rice), it said.

The investigation further revealed that Anwar Dhebar (brother of Congress leader Aijaz Dhebar), who was a politically influential figure during 2022-23, played a key role in collecting, managing, and utilizing the illicit funds raised from rice millers for Anil Tuteja, it said.

"Digital evidence recovered during Income Tax Department raids reportedly indicates Dhebar's deep involvement not only in the liquor scam but also in exerting direct influence over other major government departments, including Public Works Department (PWD) and Forest Department," the EOW said.

Investigation is still underway against Congress leader Ramgopal Agrawal and other accused persons linked to the scam.

Both Tuteja and Dhebar were earlier arrested in connection with the alleged liquor scam in the state.

The state's EOW/Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had last year lodged an FIR in connection with an alleged rice milling scam based on a report received from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has been probing a money laundering angle into the alleged scam.

According to the state's agency, the investigation has found illegal recovery worth around Rs 140 crores from rice millers in the case.

As per the ED, the alleged scam to the tune of 175 crore was being conducted during the Kharif marketing season 2021-22 when Chhattisgarh was governed by the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government.

The money laundering case stems from an Income Tax department chargesheet which alleged that office bearers of Chhattisgarh Rice Millers Association "colluded" with officers of Markfed to misuse a special incentive and earn kickbacks worth crores of rupees during Kharif Year 2021-2022.

As per the ED, till Kharif year 2021-22, a special incentive of Rs 40 per quintal of paddy was paid by the state government to rice millers for custom milling of paddy, and this amount was "exorbitantly" increased to Rs 120 per quintal of paddy, which was paid in two instalments of Rs 60 each.

Subsequently, officials of Markfed and DMOs connived with office bearers of the rice millers association to extort money from rice millers.

To put pressure on rice millers to cough up the extortion amount, the accused persons kept bills of rice millers pending without any justification, it claimed.

Rice millers of the entire Chhattisgarh were forced by the state rice millers association to cough up cash at a rate Rs 20 per quintal of rice milled for payment of their incentive bills.

"The bills of only those rice millers who paid cash to the association were cleared by MD, Markfed payment. This resulted in huge cash collection from rice millers of Chhattisgarh, which was used by accused persons for their personal gain," it claimed. PTI TKP BNM