ED attaches property worth Rs 152 Cr of Suryakant Tiwari, IAS Vishnoi and others

     New Delhi, December 10, 2022: In a significant development, the Enforcement Directorate has attached property worth Rs 152.31 crore belonging to top officials, politician and others, including IAS Sameer Vishnoi.

     Besides movable, a total of 91 immovable properties have also been attached, an ED release said today.

     The ED, vide Provisional Attachment Order No 02/2022 dated 09.12.2022, has provisionally attached movable and 91 immovable properties worth Rs 152.31 Crore belonging to Congress leader Suryakant Tiwari, Deputy Secretary to CM Saumya Chaurasia, IAS Sameer Vishnoi, Businessman Sunil Agarwal and others.

      Among the 91 properties, 65 properties belonged to Suryakant Tiwari, 21 properties of Saumya Chaurasia, 5 properties of IAS Sameer Vishnoi and businessman Sunil Agarwal and others, the release said.

     The properties include cash, jewellery, flats, coal Washeries and plots of land located in the State of Chhattisgarh, the release said.

      The attached lands include Agriculture lands admeasuring 63.38 acre in Hirri, Potiya and Sevati in Durg. Agriculture lands admeasuring 10 acre in Rasni & Arang of Raipur. Commercial land admeasuring 12 acre in Thakuraintola of Durg.

     After conducting searches at more than 75 locations including the Mining Departments at District Collectorate Offices of Korba & Raigarh and collected incriminating evidences. ED has also recorded statements of around 100 individuals.

     ED claimed in its investigation it was revealed that as part of a grand conspiracy, Policy changes were made and Director Mining issued a Govt Order on 15 July, 2020 to modify an existing efficient online system of issuance of transport permits, to introduce a manual layer where Coal users were forced to apply for NOC with State Mining officers.

     Armed with this government order, the alleged extortion at the rate of Rs 25 per tonne of transported Coal started, ED claimed adding Suryakant Tiwari was the main accused in the coal scam and allegedly collected around Rs 500 Crore in 2 years.

     Earlier, in this case, ED had arrested Sameer Vishnoi IAS, Sunil Agarwal & Laxmikant Tiwari on 13, October, 2022 and Suryakant Tiwari on 30, October 2022.

     On December 2,2022, ED had arrested Saumya Chaurasia.

     Also on December 9, 2022, ED had filed prosecution complaint against Tiwari, Vishnoi, Laxmikant Tiwari, Sunil Agarwal & others before the PMLA Special Court Raipur.