Raipur– The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today escalated its probe into the multi-crore Chhattisgarh coal levy extortion case, provisionally attaching eight immovable properties worth ₹2.66 crore linked to key accused Saumya Chaurasia and Nikhil Chandrakar.
The assets — comprising land parcels and residential flats — were allegedly acquired using proceeds of crime generated from the illegal collection of a so-called “coal levy” and related extortion activities in the state’s coal transportation sector, primarily between 2020 and 2022.
The Raipur Zonal Office of the ED issued the Provisional Attachment Order (PAO) under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. Many of the properties were held in the names of relatives of the accused, in what investigators describe as classic benami arrangements to conceal illicit gains.
Saumya Chaurasia, a suspended State Administrative Service officer who previously served as Deputy Secretary in the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister’s Office during the Congress government led by Bhupesh Baghel, remains a central figure in the case. She has been under arrest in connection with the scam for several years.
Co-accused Nikhil Chandrakar is also named in today’s attachment order.
In a strongly worded statement, the ED revealed that a portion of the estimated ₹540 crore extorted through the racket — which involved charging coal transporters an illegal ₹25 per tonne — was diverted for election-related expenses and to bribe politicians and bureaucrats.
This explosive allegation has intensified political heat around the scandal, which has already seen multiple arrests, chargesheets, and cumulative property attachments approaching ₹273 crore to date.
The case originated from several FIRs, including those filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (Raipur), Bengaluru Police, and chargesheets from the Income Tax Department. It alleges a sophisticated cartel involving bureaucrats, private transporters, washery operators, and middlemen who systematically extorted money from the coal trade ecosystem in mineral-rich Chhattisgarh.
Investigators say the latest move targets the laundering phase of the proceeds of crime, underlining the agency’s determination to trace and freeze every rupee allegedly siphoned off during the previous regime.
Political reactions poured in swiftly, with the ruling BJP in the state hailing the development as further proof of systemic corruption under the erstwhile Congress government. Opposition leaders, however, have dismissed the probe as politically motivated.
The ED’s ongoing investigation is expected to yield more attachments and possible arrests in the coming weeks, as the agency continues to map the full trail of funds.
This development comes amid a broader crackdown on alleged financial irregularities from the prior administration, keeping Chhattisgarh’s political landscape firmly in the national spotlight.
