The Enforcement Directorate has claimed involvement of state officials and politicians in connection with a money laundering case, The Indian Express reported. This comes days after the ED arrested Chhattisgarh IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi, along with two others, following multi-city raids in the state early this week as part of a money laundering investigation. As per the report, the government agency said the case involves an illegal levy on coal transportation which was generating Rs 2-3 crore per day.
Vishnoi, an Indian Administrative Service officer of 2009 batch, is currently working as the CEO of the Chhattisgarh Infotech Promotion Society. He was questioned by the agency at its office in Raipur on Wednesday along with a few others.
The IE report further stated that the ED has arrested Indramani Group’s Laxmikant Tiwari and Sunil Kumar Agarwal in connection with the case. The agency further claimed that Raigadh Collector Ranu Sahu and the kingpin of the alleged scam Suryakant Tiwari are missing. In a statement released by the ED on Friday, it said that Laxmikant Tiwari has admitted to handling the extorted money.
“During the course of search and investigation, cash of Rs 1.5 crore, which was found with Laxmikant Tiwari was seized. He has admitted that he handled [Rs] 1-2 crore of the extorted money on daily basis. Sunil Kumar Agrawal of Indramani Group, a big coal businessman was found to be involved in this racket and…a business partner of Suryakant Tiwari. Sameer Vishnoi and his wife were found to be in possession of Rs 47 lakh of unaccounted cash and gold jewellery (4kg),” the ED said, as quoted by IE.
The report further said that according to the ED, the accused are part of a scam in which illegal levy of Rs 25 per tonne was being allegedly extorted. The ED has also alleged that the proceeds of the crime were being used for “investing in benami assets, bribing officials to influence senior officers and also used by or on behalf of political executives of the state.”
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