Ranchi – In a major development in the Jharkhand liquor scam, the ACB Special Court in Ranchi has issued an arrest warrant against Chhattisgarh-based businessman Siddharth Singhania. The warrant follows his failure to respond to summons for questioning.
A similar warrant was issued earlier against Vinay Kumar Singh from Ranchi, who is also under investigation. With both accused evading the authorities, ACB teams have launched raids to find their whereabouts.
The investigation has expanded to include individuals from other states. Notices for questioning have been issued to several people from Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. If they continue to ignore the summons, arrest warrants may follow.
The scam has so far resulted in a loss of over ₹38 crore to the Jharkhand exchequer. Officials believe the amount may increase as the probe deepens.
Three men — two former senior finance officials of JSBCL and one manpower agency representative — have been placed under a two-day remand for further questioning.
Investigators uncovered a strong Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh nexus in the scam. A crucial piece of evidence — a diary recovered from Singhania’s residence — suggests a larger syndicate and outlines strategies to manage resistance to illegal liquor operations.
Arrests so far include top officials such as Vinay Kumar Chaubey and Gajendra Singh, highlighting the scam’s extensive reach.
With inputs from IANS