The Enforcement Directorate’s Raipur zonal office on October 30 filed a supplementary charge sheet before the Special Court (PMLA) and provisionally attached movable and immovable properties worth about Rs 31.70 crore, linking the seizure to the alleged misappropriation of District Mineral Foundation Trust (DMFT) funds in Chhattisgarh.
The provisional attachment order was issued on October 29 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. Seventeen individuals, including Satpal Singh Chabda and Mandip Chawla, face charges of money laundering and related offences. The agency has quantified the proceeds of crime at roughly Rs 35 crore, against which assets valued at Rs 31.70 crore have now been frozen.
According to the ED press note, a well‑organised syndicate comprising public servants and private agents manipulated the allocation of DMFT resources, which are earmarked for the welfare of mining‑affected communities. The group allegedly favoured supply‑oriented projects, inflated procurement costs and extracted illegal commissions ranging from 25 to 50 per cent of the base value of purchase orders issued to rate‑contract holders.
Commissions were collected both in cash and through banking channels, then layered across multiple entities and accounts. Similar illicit earnings were reportedly siphoned from procurements undertaken by Chhattisgarh Rajya Beej Evam Krishi Vikas Nigam using funds outside the DMFT pool.
Satpal Singh Chabda is identified as a principal liaison and financial coordinator. He is accused of steering work allocation to selected vendors, facilitating purchase orders, releasing payments and distributing the illegal commissions. The ED arrested Chabda on September 1 under Section 19 of the PMLA.
Four accused persons, among them IAS officer Ramu Shau, have been taken into custody. The investigation originated from FIRs filed by the Anti‑Corruption Bureau/Economic Offences Wing, Raipur, under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and the Indian Penal Code, and later merged with additional FIRs from Kanker district police. Ongoing inquiries continue to probe the involvement of government officials and other agents in the misuse of DMFT funds, commission collection and money‑laundering activities.
Image: mangalorean.com
📰 Source: Mangalorean News