The Enforcement Directorate, which has arrested Chhattisgarh IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi together with two others in a cash laundering case, has claimed that officers and politicians within the state have been concerned in an unlawful levy on coal transportation, producing Rs 2-3 crore per day. Had been. Day.
The company has arrested Vishnoi together with Laxmikant Tiwari and Sunil Kumar Agarwal of Indramani Group within the case. It has been claimed that Raigad Collector Ranu Sahu and the kingpin of the alleged rip-off Suryakant Tiwari are lacking.
During the search and investigation, money value Rs 1.5 crore was recovered from Laxmikant Tiwari. He has admitted that he dealt with [Rs] Every day 1-2 crore extortion is completed. In this racket, Sunil Kumar Agarwal of coal large Indramani Group and enterprise companions of Suryakant Tiwari have been discovered. In a press release on Friday, the ED stated, unaccounted money and gold jewelery (4 kg) value Rs 47 lakh have been discovered from Samir Vishnoi and his spouse.
According to the ED, the accused are a part of a rip-off wherein unlawful restoration of Rs 25 per tonne was allegedly being made. The ED has alleged that the proceeds of the crime have been getting used to “invest in benami properties, bribe officials to influence senior officials and be used by or on behalf of political officials of the state”.
The ED began the cash laundering probe based mostly on the FIR lodged by the Income Tax Department. The company, in its search within the case, has seized unaccounted money value Rs 4.5 crore, gold jewelry, bullion and different valuables value about Rs 2 crore (approx).
According to the ED, the extortion of unlawful coal levies accelerated when the Director of Geology and Mining Department issued a notification on July 15, 2020, searching for e-permits for guide transportation of coal from mines to customers on-line. The process was modified. No Objection Certificate No SOP or process was circulated on this regard, the ED has claimed.
On Wednesday, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel hit out on the Center over ED searches at a number of locations within the state, saying “investigating agencies should not be misused for political gains”. Talking to reporters in Raipur, Baghel wished to know why the company didn’t disclose the small print of the restoration made through the operation.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
