New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today (February 20, 2023) conducted fresh searches at over a dozen locations across Chhattisgarh in connection with its ongoing investigation into the coal levy money laundering case. The search was also conducted at the residential and office premises of various Congress leaders including Devendra Yadav, Ram Gopal Agarwal, Girish Devangan, RP Singh, Vinod Tiwari, and Sunny Agrawal, news agency ANI reported.


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The ED is reportedly investigating those who have been the beneficiaries of the proceeds of crime of the alleged coal levy scam perpetrated during the tenure of the current Bhupesh Baghel-led government.



What is Chhattisgarh coal levy scam case?


The ED investigation relates to "a massive scam" in which an 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.


Earlier last month, the ED had raided multiple locations in Chhattisgarh including that of an IAS officer, and other locations in connection with its ongoing money laundering probe into the alleged coal levy scam in the state.


The federal probe agency had launched a probe in this case in October last year after it raided another IAS officer of the state, Sameer Vishnoi, and some businessmen.


Sameer Vishnoi, an IAS Officer of the 2009 Batch, and his wife were found to be in possession of Rs 47 lacs of unaccounted cash and gold jewelry of 4 kg.


The investigation relates to a massive scam in which an 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.


Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel`s deputy secretary Saumya Chaurasia, Vishnoi, coal trader and alleged "main kingpin of the scam" Suryakant Tiwari, his uncle Laxmikant Tiwari and another coal businessman Sunil Agrawal have already been arrested in the case.


The ED had earlier claimed in a statement that Chaurasia, Vishnoi, and some coal traders allegedly linked to them "used" their relatives to create "benami" assets after it attached their properties worth more than Rs 150 crore in December last year.


The agency alleged that a "grand conspiracy" was hatched in the natural resources-rich state to perpetrate a coal levy `scam` in which Rs 540 crore has been "extorted" over the last two years.


The money laundering case stems from an Income Tax department complaint that was registered following raids by the taxman in June 2022.