Wed Dec 17 07:00:16 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text and a rewrite as a news article:

Summary:

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Soumya Chaurasia, a former Deputy Secretary in the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) during the previous Congress government, in connection with an alleged liquor scam. Chaurasia was previously arrested in 2022 in connection with an alleged coal levy scam. The ED alleges the liquor scam, orchestrated between 2019 and 2022, caused a significant loss to the state exchequer and generated illegal gains for members of a liquor syndicate. Others arrested in connection with the scam include former Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma and Chaitanya Baghel, son of the former Chief Minister.

News Article:

Former Chhattisgarh CMO Official Arrested in Liquor Scam Investigation

Raipur, December 17, 2025 – The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Soumya Chaurasia, a suspended State administrative service officer and former Deputy Secretary in the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), in connection with an alleged liquor scam that reportedly cost the state exchequer over ₹2,500 crore.

Chaurasia, who served in the CMO during the tenure of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, was arrested on Tuesday evening and is scheduled to appear before a special court today.

This is not Chaurasia’s first brush with the law. She was previously arrested in 2022 in connection with an alleged coal levy scam but was later granted interim bail by the Supreme Court.

The ED alleges that the liquor scam, which took place between 2019 and 2022 during the previous Congress government, involved a liquor syndicate that illegally profited from the sale of alcohol.

Several other individuals have already been arrested in connection with the case, including Congress MLA and former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, who the ED claims was the main recipient of the proceeds of crime, and Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who allegedly handled nearly ₹1,000 crore generated from the scandal.

The investigation is ongoing.

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