Ranchi, Jan 8 (IANS) The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Jharkhand has arrested key accused Naveen Kedia from Goa in connection with the liquor scam.

Kedia, a resident of Durg district in Chhattisgarh, had been absconding for quite some time.

The ACB team is in the process of bringing him to Ranchi on transit remand, after which he will be produced before a court. The ACB investigators plan to question him extensively over his alleged role in the scam.

According to ACB sources, Kedia was earlier summoned for questioning but failed to appear. He subsequently moved the court seeking anticipatory bail, which was rejected. Following this, he went into hiding.

After sustained surveillance using technical inputs and human intelligence, the ACB traced his location and arrested him in Goa.

Investigations have revealed that the Jharkhand liquor scam has deep and organised links with liquor traders based in Chhattisgarh.

The Jharkhand connection first came to light after a diary was recovered from the residence of businessman Siddharth Singhania during a probe by the Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau into the Chhattisgarh liquor scam.

The diary allegedly contained details of a syndicate formed to control the liquor trade in Jharkhand, including identification of individuals posing obstacles and strategies to “manage” them.

The ACB has further found that seven placement agencies awarded contracts by the Jharkhand government for liquor shop operations and manpower supply grossly violated tender conditions. The bank guarantees submitted by these firms were found to be fake.

An internal audit report of the Jharkhand State Beverages Corporation Limited (JSBCL) has estimated that these seven companies caused a loss of approximately Rs 129.55 crore to the state exchequer through fraudulent practices. Overall, the ACB has pegged the total scam amount at over Rs 150 crore.

Earlier, senior IAS officer Vinay Kumar Chaubey, retired IAS officer Amit Prakash, Jharkhand Administrative Service officer Gajendra Singh, businessman Siddharth Singhania, and Vidhu Gupta, director of Prism Holography, were arrested in connection with the case.

However, most of the accused were granted bail after the charge sheet was not filed within the stipulated time.

–IANS

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