Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi: Arunpati Tripathi, the alleged mastermind behind the liquor scams in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, established a company under his wife’s name and later sold it to Vidhu Gupta, the owner of Prism Holography. Investigations reveal that Tripathi collected around ₹20 crore in commissions through illegal liquor trade running parallel to government operations. While the Chhattisgarh liquor scam probe has confirmed these findings, the investigation into the Jharkhand liquor scam remains ongoing, led by both the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Company Set Up Under Wife’s Name to Facilitate Scam
During investigations into the Chhattisgarh liquor scam, authorities discovered that Tripathi founded a company in 2021, listing his wife as director while retaining full control himself. Using this company, Tripathi manipulated software created by NIC for Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMSL). He subsequently sold the company to Vidhu Gupta of Prism Holography.
During questioning, Tripathi’s wife admitted that while the company was registered in her name, operational control remained with her husband.
Massive Illegal Liquor Network Exposed
Investigators found that Tripathi extracted a commission of ₹50 per crate of country liquor. His parallel liquor network reportedly moved an average of 200 trucks of illegal liquor monthly from unauthorized factories to retail outlets. Bottles were fitted with counterfeit holograms printed by Prism Holography, designed to pass authenticity checks during inspections.
Further investigations revealed that illegally manufactured liquor was supplied by factories to the liquor syndicate at ₹560 per crate. The syndicate then sold it in corporation-run shops for ₹2,320 per crate. From these proceeds, a commission of ₹50 per crate was allegedly collected for the corporation. Agencies calculated that approximately ₹20 crore was siphoned off as commissions within a single year.
Financial Channels Used to Launder Illicit Proceeds
Tripathi is alleged to have orchestrated the deposit of proceeds from the legal liquor trade into bank accounts managed by Top Securities, a company linked to Siddharth Singhania. The same network was used to channel the illicit funds collected from illegal liquor sales.
After executing the Chhattisgarh scam, Tripathi reportedly shifted his operations to Jharkhand, seeking to replicate the model and position the Chhattisgarh liquor syndicate within the state’s liquor trade, thereby causing significant losses to the government.
