Ranchi, Oct 14 (IANS) The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Jharkhand has arrested seven accused from Maharashtra and Gujarat for their alleged involvement in large-scale financial irregularities in government liquor contracts, officials said on Tuesday.

According to ACB officials, the arrests were made during coordinated operations across the two states.

The accused are being brought to Ranchi on transit remand and will be produced before the ACB’s special court.

Those arrested have been identified as Vipin Jadavbhai Parmar, Mahesh Shedge, Paresh Abhesingh Thakor, and Vikram Singh Thakor from Gujarat.

Apart from this, the ACB also arrested Jagan Tukaram Desai, Kamal Jagan Desai, and Sheetal Jagan Desai from Maharashtra.

The ACB had obtained arrest warrants for the seven individuals in June this year after uncovering major irregularities during its investigation.

As per the findings, seven placement and service companies had been awarded contracts by the Jharkhand government to operate liquor outlets and provide manpower to the Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited (JSBCL).

However, these firms allegedly violated tender conditions and submitted forged bank guarantees as part of their contractual obligations.

An internal audit conducted by JSBCL revealed that the fraudulent activities of these companies caused a loss of Rs 129.55 crore to the state exchequer. The total scam value, according to ACB estimates, is believed to exceed Rs 150 crore.

The seven newly arrested accused are suspected of being part of a wider network already under the scanner.

The ACB had earlier arrested several high-profile figures in connection with the case, including senior IAS officer Vinay Kumar Chaubey, retired IAS officer Amit Prakash, Jharkhand Administrative Service officer Gajendra Singh, Chhattisgarh-based businessman Siddharth Singhania, and Prism Holography Company director Vidhu Gupta.

However, all the accused were later granted bail after the agency failed to file a charge sheet within the stipulated time.

An ACB official said that the investigation is still going on and that more arrests are likely in the coming days.

–IANS

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