Bail Denied for Accused in Rs 71 Crore Excise Scam; ED Names Ansh Trivedi Mastermind

Digital Desk

In the high-profile Rs 71 crore excise fake invoice scam, the District Court on Friday rejected the bail petition of main accused and liquor contractor Ansh Trivedi. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) strongly opposed his release during the hearing before the Special Judge (PML Act).

ED Alleges Trivedi as Mastermind

Trivedi’s lawyer argued that his client was innocent and had not caused any revenue loss to the government, requesting bail on medical grounds as Trivedi is currently receiving treatment in Udaipur for back pain and dengue.

However, ED Special Public Prosecutor Chandan Airen contended that Trivedi was the mastermind behind the scam, causing crores in losses. The prosecution also warned that granting bail could allow him to tamper with evidence. The court ultimately dismissed the bail request.

Scam Details

The scam, initially estimated at Rs 49 crore, has now been revealed to total Rs 71 crore, involving 194 fake bank invoices. Two liquor contractors, Ansh Trivedi and Raju Dashvant, were arrested and sent to ED custody until October 8. ED is preparing to question government officials who may have played a role in the fraud.

The fraud dates back eight years, when the Excise Department at Ravji Bazar filed FIRs against 14 individuals for cheating. Some officials were suspended but later reinstated due to slow departmental inquiries.

ED Raids and Summons

ED conducted raids at 18 locations in Indore, targeting major liquor distribution groups. Individuals under scrutiny include Avinash and Vijay Srivastav (MG Road group), Rakesh Jaiswal (GPO Chauraha group), Yogendra Jaiswal (Topkhana group), and Rahul Chouksey (Bypass Devguradia group), among others.

Officials such as former Assistant Commissioner Sanjeev Dubey, DS Sisodia, Sukhnandan Pathak, Kaushalya Sabwani, Dhanraj Singh Parmar, and Anmol Gupta have been summoned for questioning.

Modus Operandi

ED’s investigation revealed that the accused initially submitted low-value treasury invoices but left the “amount in words” section blank. Later, they inflated the amounts in both numbers and words, submitting these fake invoices as proof of fee payments to excise offices. This enabled them to obtain NOCs and liquor license approvals, causing massive losses to the state.

According to ED, Ansh Trivedi and Raju Dashvant orchestrated the entire operation and were the chief conspirators behind the scam