Ranchi
Chhattisgarh businessman Siddharth Singhania has been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in a major breakthrough in the Jharkhand liquor scam, which involves a fraud of over ₹38 crore.
Singhania was caught near Raipur during a raid by Jharkhand ACB on Thursday. After his arrest, he was brought before a Chhattisgarh court. Authorities now plan to bring him to Ranchi on transit remand for further questioning.
Earlier, a special court in Ranchi issued an arrest warrant against him on June 12. Despite repeated summons for questioning, Singhania did not appear before the ACB.
The case intensified after a raid at Singhania’s house linked to a liquor scam in Chhattisgarh. During that search, officials found a diary with critical information about a liquor syndicate in Jharkhand. The diary reportedly revealed plans to control liquor trade in the state and strategies to handle those opposing the syndicate.
So far, 16 people have been named in the scam, including top bureaucrats and private businessmen. Seven have already been arrested, including senior IAS officer Vinay Kumar Chaubey, retired IAS officer Amit Prakash, and state officer Gajendra Singh.
The ACB recently obtained warrants for seven more suspects from Gujarat and Maharashtra. Another Ranchi-based businessman, Vinay Kumar Singh, is also evading questioning despite being served notice.
The investigation continues to uncover deep connections between officials, businesspeople, and the illegal liquor network, showing the scale of corruption and the expanding crackdown across multiple states.