RAIPUR: Accused IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi along with five others arrested in connection to money laundering in a coal scam will be produced in court before Special judge Ajau Singh Rajput. The ED on Tuesday arrested Awadesh Barikm Mineral officer of Balrampur District along with Dhamtari Mineral Inspector Khilavan Bhuarya.
It is worth noting that IAS officer Vishnoi, businessman Suryakant Tiwari, Sunil Agarwal, and several other bureaucrats are in judicial custody following multiple raids across the state on October 13. As per sources, ED will also appeal to take remand of the accused before the court today.
The money laundering case is linked to an alleged illegal levy extorted from coal and mining transporters in the state by a nexus of government officials, businessmen, and private entities.
In a press statement on October 14, the ED alleged massive irregularities during coal transportation in Chhattisgarh, saying several politicians and government officers were running a “parallel system of extorting illegal levy” and generating about ₹2 to 3 crore daily.