7 Arrested in CSMCL Rs 115 Crore Overtime Scam

Economic Offences Wing probes CSMCL overtime scam, uncovering fake bills worth over Rs 115 crore paid to manpower agencies for liquor shop staff.

Raipur's anti-corruption agencies have cracked down on a massive financial irregularity in the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL), arresting seven people, including senior executives from private manpower firms. The CSMCL overtime scam allegedly involved disbursing nearly Rs 115 crore in overtime payments from 2019-20 to 2023-24, which never reached liquor shop workers but was siphoned off through bogus bills and commissions. Officials say the probe, triggered by earlier cash seizures, points to a systematic fraud causing heavy losses to the state exchequer.english.

Arrests in Manpower Firms

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) took the seven into custody late last week, presenting them in court where they were remanded to police custody until May 11. Among those held are top executives from agencies like Eagle Hunter Solution Limited, previously linked to two arrests in April—field officer Abhishek Kumar Singh and accountant Tijau Ram Nirmalkar. Investigators claim these individuals managed cash withdrawals and fund transfers to other accused.

Fake Shifts on Paper

Paper trails showed extra shifts at government liquor outlets, justifying overtime claims that agencies billed for aggressively. But ground checks revealed workers got nothing, with sanctioned funds allegedly diverted as kickbacks to officials and private players. The scam's scale—spanning five financial years—suggests organized manipulation of payment systems during the previous Congress regime in Chhattisgarh.

ED Raid Sparks Probe

It all began with an Enforcement Directorate (ED) operation on November 29, 2023, when Rs 28.80 lakh in cash was recovered from three suspects in Raipur. Linking it to unpaid overtime wages led ACB-EOW to file an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act and IPC sections for cheating and conspiracy. This input from ED peeled back layers of what appears to be a broader corruption network.money.

Anwar Dhebar's Link Emerges

Businessman Anwar Dhebar, elder brother of a former Raipur mayor, was arrested earlier in February 2026 in connection with this and related scams, including liquor irregularities. He's currently in judicial remand, and officials hint at more ties emerging from interrogations. The manpower angle has now widened the net significantly.

Workers Shortchanged

Hundreds of frontline staff at CSMCL liquor shops—deployed via these agencies—were promised extra pay for extended hours, only for it to vanish into the fraud pipeline. Sources in the probe team say records were fudged to inflate claims, with real overtime hours ignored. Public outrage is building over how public money meant for labourers ended up elsewhere.english.

Probe Deepens Ahead

With custodial remand in place, EOW-ACB expects key disclosures on fund trails and accomplices during questioning. The agency has seized documents and is scrutinising bank transactions for further leads. This CSMCL overtime scam could unravel more from Chhattisgarh's troubled excise sector, with potential for additional arrests.