Raipur: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday arrested Soumya Chaurasia, deputy secretary of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in connection with a coal scam case. For the last two and a half months, the central agency has been investigating this coal extortion scam case. Soumya Chaurasia, a 2008-batch state administrative service officer, has held the highest post since the Congress returned to power in the state in December 2018.

According to the report, the scam has links directly to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) in Raipur, after which the case has become high-profile. The ED has already arrested three businessmen, including 2009 batch IAS officer Sameer Bishnoi, in connection with the case. The investigating agency has named businessman Suryakant Tiwari, who is currently in jail, as the main accused in the coal collection scam case. In this case, ED has also raided the premises of 3 IAS officers.

Prior to her arrest on Friday afternoon, the ED had questioned Soumya Chaurasia several times in the last two months. In the second week of September 2022, raids were also conducted on an IAS husband and wife in this case. After the medical examination of Soumya Chaurasia, she was presented in the PMLA (Money Laundering) Court of Ajay Singh Rajput. Soumya Chaurasia has been sent to 4-day remand by the court. However, the investigating agency sought custody for 14 days.

ED ने अपने रिमांड नोट में साफ कहा कि छत्तीसगढ़ में चल रहे “सरकारी एक्सटॉर्शन” में सूर्यकांत तिवारी तो सिर्फ़ मोहरा है जिसे सौम्या चौरसिया मुख्यमंत्री दफ़्तर में बैठ कर चला रही थी। सौम्या चौरसिया ने “सरकारी एक्सटोर्शन” के जरिये अपने परिवारजनों के नाम करोड़ों की संपत्ति भी बनायी। pic.twitter.com/7Y91iBLgQK

— Jitender Sharma (@capt_ivane) December 3, 2022

Earlier, Soumya Chaurasia was summoned for questioning nine times. Her lawyer Faisal Rizvi had claimed that all this was being done to tarnish her reputation. The accused, who have already been arrested in this case, have been kept in judicial custody in the Central Jail in Raipur. Central investigating agency ED says that this racket of politicians- businessmen-officials carried out this scam, under which coal was collected for Rs 25 per tonne.

According to ED, illegal extortion of Rs 2-3 crore was done daily under this scam. At the same time, CM Baghel is still calling the arrest of Soumya Chaurasia a political action and he says that he will fight against it with full force. Not only this, but CM Baghel also accused the ED of assaulting the officers. Soumya Chaurasia will be produced in court again on December 6. Soumya is also accused of selling land purchased at a cheaper price in the name of her family members and buying other lands.

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