Raipur: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out raids on the multiple locations of senior bureaucrats, traders and a political leader including IAS officers in Durg-Bhilai, Raipur, Korba and Bilaspur on Friday. The raids were carried out in connection with the Chhattisgarh coal transportation scam.
The offices and residential premises on which raids were conducted includes residence of senior IAS(2001) officer Anbalagan P and his wife IAS(2004) Alarmelmangai D, Congress leader Agni Chandrakar, former MLA of Mahasamund and chairman of the State Seed Corporation, trader Pramod Jain, transporter ML Patel, businessman Swatantra Jain and others.
The raids started in the morning and are still underway. This time also ED sleuths conducted raids under the protection of CRPF men.
The Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel expressed his anger over the raids. These central agencies people come to the state where polls have to be conducted, CM Baghel said. When there were polls in West Bengal the number of frequent raids increased, in Maharashtra they had to replace the government, activities of these agencies increased. Now in Maharashtra there is no such activity. Actually, BJP failed to counter us so they were misusing central prosecuting agencies, people should not worry, the CM said.
However, till the report got filed no official statement was issued by the central prosecuting agency.
Notably, in coal extortion cum scam case, the federal investigation agency launched probe October last year and after carrying out raids it arrested IAS Officer Sameer Vishnoi, CM’s Deputy Secretary Saumya Chaurasia, alleged "kingpin of the scam" coal trader Suryakant Tiwari, his uncle Laxmikant Tiwari, coal businessman Sunil Agrawal and others.
ED alleged of massive scam and said, illegal levy of Rs 25 was being extorted for every tonne of coal transported in Chhattisgarh by a cartel comprising of senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and middlemen.
The central prosecuting agency alleged that the cartel extorted Rs 540 crore has been "extorted" over the last two years.
The ED also claimed Chaurasia, Vishnoi, and some coal traders allegedly linked to them created massive ‘benami’ assets in the name of their relatives tunes in crores. ED attached properties worth more than Rs 150 crore in December.
All the five people arrested by ED including Chaurasia, IAS Vishnoi, Suryakant Tiwari, Laxmikant Tiwari, Sunil Agrawal were facing trial in special ED court.
Moreover the special court which heard the case on Friday extended their judicial remand up to February 14. Meanwhile, Chaurasia's remand was extended up to January 27.
