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The Enforcement Directorate on Friday raided 16 locations across Chhattisgarh, including the residence of an IAS officer, as part of an ongoing probe into a money laundering case it registered in connection with “illegal” levy on coal transportation in the state. Sources said apart from the IAS officer, those raided include aides of some local politicians and coal traders.
Sources said the Friday raids involved premises associated with IAS officer P Anbalgan, Secretary of Water Resources Department, with additional charge of Tourism and Culture. The 2004-batch IAS officer had earlier served as the Secretary of Mineral Resources Department in the incumbent Congress government.
“It was during his tenure as mining secretary in the state that the system of coal transportation was changed from online to manual. This helped those involved in the scam to levy illegal charges on coal transportation. The total amount earned this way is close to Rs 560 crore,” an ED official said.
Anbalgan’s wife D Alarmelmangai is also an IAS officer (2004 batch) and is posted as Secretary of Urban Administration and Development Department, and Finance Department. She has earlier served as the Director, Geology and Mining, in the current government.
The ED had launched a probe into the case in October last year after it raided another IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi and some businessmen. It later arrested them along with Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s then Deputy Secretary Saumya Chaurasia.
The ED has claimed that officials and politicians in the state were involved in an illegal levy on coal transportation which was generating Rs 2-3 crore per day.
The agency while arresting one Laxmikant Tiwari and Sunil Kumar Agarwal of Indramani Group in connection with the case, along with Vishnoi, last year had claimed that Raigadh Collector Ranu Sahu and kingpin of the alleged scam Suryakant Tiwari are missing.
“During the course of search and investigation, Laxmikant Tiwari 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… Vishnoi and his wife were found to be in possession of Rs 47 lakh of unaccounted cash and 4kg gold jewellery,” the ED had said in a statement then.
According to the ED, they [those named] were part of a massive scam in which illegal levy of Rs 25 per tonne was allegedly being extorted by a cartel involving senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and middlemen.
The proceeds of crime, the ED has alleged, 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”.
While leaving for an interactive session with the people of Korba district on Friday, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel raised questions on the ongoing raids by the ED, asking why the Central agencies never investigate corruption done by the previous BJP government in the state. With ENS, Raipur
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