Raipur: Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths conducted raids on residential premises of Anwar Dhebar’s close aide cum rice trader Rafique Memon in Raipur and the house of his maternal uncle Iqbal Memon in Mainpur. Anwar Dhebar, accused in the liquor scam in Chhattisgarh.

As per information received, around 6 am on Wednesday, an ED team arrived in over 10 vehicles at Iqbal Memon's house in Mainpur, Gariaband, conducting a surprise inspection and searching the property documents. Simultaneously, Rafique Memon's residence in Moudhapara, Raipur, was also raided.

The raid on Iqbal Memon's house followed recent protests by villagers against a rice mill under construction in Jadapadar, allegedly owned by Iqbal's son, Ghulam. The villagers subsequently filed a complaint with the ED, claiming that the liquor syndicate invested money through Ghulam, who reportedly bought property worth over 2 crores in Mainpur in the past 18 months. Ghulam is a cousin of Anwar Dhebar.

The ED's raids appear to be a response to this complaint; however, no official statements have been issued regarding the operations yet.