VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Aug 30: Businessman Vishal Choudhary finally turned-up before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning on Tuesday. Reliable sources said that he was summoned by the agency for questioning in an illegal mining and MNREGA scam case. He turned up at the Ranchi zonal office of the ED for questioning.
Earlier, the ED had raided his premises in Ranchi on May 24. He disappeared from the scene after the raid. During the raid Vishal Choudhary had thrown his mobile phone in the garbage which was later safely recovered by the ED officials.
Vishal Choudhary is closely connected with many IAS officers. Besides, he has a special business interest in several state-sponsored sectors like health, skill development as well as excise, and prohibition. In the year 2012, he set up ‘Vinayaka Fundamental Research and Education Society (VFRES) and soon became a partner of the Jharkhand Skill Development Mission and signed an MOU for skill development training and placement of 3000 youth of Jharkhand every year.
He also looks after the affairs of Frontline Promoters Private Limited which was established on 25 May 2009. Registered at Registrar of Companies, Patna, his wife Shweta Singh Chaudhary and brother Triveni Chaudhary are among the directors. The registered address of the company is Damodarpur, P.S – Kanti in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar. Besides, there are several other companies like Vayam Info Security Services Private Limited, Vayam Info Solutions Private Limited, FGS Construction Private Limited and others that are linked to his family.
During the Covid 19 pandemic, he is said to have bagged the supply order of testing kits and others that were worth Crores. Some of the documents pertain to e-tender for empanelment of the placement agency of Jharkhand State Beverage Corporation Limited. Sources in the government familiar with his business interests claimed that during the regime of Raghubar Das when the state government changed excise policy and took over liquor business, Vishal Choudhary had provided the manpower to run liquor shops. A regular flier to the foreign countries Vishal Choudhary is said to be a familiar face in the bureaucracy.
