Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 20: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted searches at multiple locations in Chhattishgarh in mining and alleged coal levy scam on Monday.
The Enforcement Directorate today conducted searches at more than a dozen locations in Chhattishgarh in a mining case. The places searched include residential and office premises of various Congress leaders. pic.twitter.com/ywnDB5n0aS
— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2023
As per information, the locations searched include residences and premises linked to Congress leaders naming Ram Gopal Agarwal, Girish Devangan, RP Singh, Vinod Tiwari and Sunny Agrawal.
The raid comes ahead of the three-day plenary session of the Congress which will be held from February 24-26 in Raipur. The state is governed by the party under Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
They said the ED is investigating those who were the beneficiaries of criminal proceeds of the alleged coal levy scam perpetrated during the tenure of the current government.
Chhattisgarh | Enforcement Directorate conducts searches at more than a dozen locations in the state in a mining case. The places being searched include residential & office premises of various Congress leaders
Visuals from the residence of Congress MLA Devendra Yadav in Raipur pic.twitter.com/mgOTiLFQJL
— ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2023
In January, the ED had also raided multiple locations in Chhattisgarh, including an IAS officer, and other locations in connection with an ongoing money laundering investigation related to the alleged coal levy scam in the state.
In October 2022, the federal investigation agency also launched a probe in this case after it raided another IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi and some businessmen.
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The investigation was linked 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.’
ED alleged that a ‘grand conspiracy’ was hatched in the natural resources-rich state to carry out a coal levy scam in which Rs 540 crore has been extorted over the last two years.
Earlier in June 2022, the money laundering case arose from an Income Tax department complaint that was registered following raids by the taxman.
