New Delhi, March 28 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday is conducting raids at multiple locations across Chhattisgarh in connection with the coal mining case.
The accused were allegedly charging a commission of Rs 25 per ton.
According to information, these raids are being conducted at the premises belonging to Chhattisgarh Congress Treasurer Ram Gopal Aggarwal and arrested accused Sunil Aggarwal.
In February also raids were conducted at the premises belonging to various Congress leaders, including state PRO, R.P. Singh, and Labour Committee President Sushil Sunny Aggarwal.
Saumya Chaurasia, deputy secretary at Chhattisgarh chief minister’s office; IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi and others are under the lens in the case. Vishnoi and Chaurasia were earlier arrested by the ED in the matter.
In December, the ED had attached movable and immovable properties worth Rs 152.31 crore belonging to Suryakant Tiwari, Saumya Chaurasia, IAS Sameer Vishnoi, Sunil Agarwal and others in the case.
The ED in September arrested Chhattisgarh-based IAS Sameer Vishnoi, Sunil Agarwal of Indramani Group and Laxmikant Tiwari. In October, absconding accused Suryakant Tiwari surrendered before a court and was arrested.A
IAS officer Ranu Sahu was reportedly missing but she wrote a letter to the ED in October and told the officials that she was on medical leave. Later, the ED conducted search operations at her mother’s house in the third week of October.
Bishnoi was questioned by the ED officials regarding an alleged commission of Rs 25 per ton coal taken out from the mines.
The ED had also raided locations in Chhattisgarh for two consecutive days and had recovered around Rs 4 crore.
The Income Tax had earlier written a letter to the Chhattisgarh government in which it was alleged that a few officials very close to the Chief Minister were involved in getting commission/bribes from coal and other businessmen. However, no action was taken by the state government.
–IANS
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