On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a fresh search at nearly a dozen locations in Chhattishgarh in mining and alleged coal levy scam. The places that are being searched include residential and office premises of various Congress leaders including Ram Gopal Agarwal, Girish Devangan, RP Singh, Vinod Tiwari ad Sunny Agrawal, sources reveals.
In January, the ED had also raided multiple locations in Chhattisgarh, including that of an IAS officer’s place, and other locations in connection with its ongoing money laundering probe into the alleged coal levy scam in the state. The federal investigation agency launched a probe in this case in October 2022, after it raided another IAS officer of the state, Sameer Vishnoi, and some businessmen.
The agency alleged that Sameer Vishnoi, an IAS Officer of 2009 Batch, and his wife were found to be in possession of Rs 47 Lacs of unaccounted cash and Gold jewellery of 4 kg.
The investigation relates to “a massive scam in which illegal levy of Rs 25 was being extorted for every tonne of coal transported in Chhattisgarh by a cartel involving senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and middlemen”, the agency has alleged.
Meanwhile, the deputy secretary of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s, Saumya Chaurasia and coal trader, Vishnoi, alleged “main kingpin of the scam” Suryakant Tiwari, his uncle Laxmikant Tiwari and another coal businessman Sunil Agrawal have been arrested in this case till now.
The ED had earlier claimed in a statement that Chaurasia, Vishnoi and some coal traders allegedly linked to them “used” their relatives to create “benami” assets after it attached their properties worth more than Rs 150 crore in December, 2022.