EOW to interrogate Sahu, Chaurasiya

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) will interrogate suspended IAS officer Ranu Sahu and SAS officer Saumya Chaurasiya in connection to the ‘coal levy scam’. Both the officers on Thursday were produced before the Special Court at Raipur after being issued production warrant. Meanwhile, the EOW sought 15 day remand of both the officers and the Special Judge Atul Kumar Shrivastava allowed the ED to interrogate them till May 27 while granting it their remands. Sources informed that based on the report of the Directorate of Enforcement, the EOW in the month of January had registered offence against 25 persons including bureaucrats in the coal levy scam. The FIR included names of both the officers who were already lodged in jail in connection to the offence.

 

A team of EOW had even interrogated both the officers in jail. The EOW felt that it needs to further interrogate suspended IAS Ranu Sahu and former Deputy Secretary to then chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, Saumya Chaurasiya. The EOW had on Wednesday then moved an application in the court and based on it, the court had issued production warrant against both the officers following which they were produced in the court on Thursday. It is worth mentioning that the ED had exposed the alleged coal levy scam in State involving Rs 540 crore. ED had claimed that the money was illegally extracted from transporters and their trucks engaged in mines in the case which pertained to money laundering. On December 2, 2022, the ED had arrested Saumya Chauraiya while after raiding the Devendra Nagar situated government residence of Ranu Sahu, the ED had arrested her on July 22, 2023. Both of them are lodged in jail ever since their arrest and Chourasiya’s bail application was earlier rejected by Supreme Court.