The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday said it conducted searches at five locations in Chhattisgarh as part of its money-laundering investigation into cases registered for irregularities in examinations conducted by the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC).
The leaked papers were allegedly used to secure fraudulent appointments to senior government posts, including deputy collector and deputy superintendent of police. In a statement, ED said it arrested Utkarsh Chandrakar, nephew of a former aide to the former chief minister, on September 1 under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, after its investigation allegedly established his involvement in activities connected to the proceeds of crime.
CGPSC examination question papers were allegedly leaked to relatives of accused persons and selected candidates through private brokers in exchange for bribes, according to the agency.
The allegations pertain to large-scale irregularities in the CGPSC State Service Examinations conducted during 2020 and 2021. The statement said its investigation indicated that more than ₹ 3 crore was collected in cash by Utkarsh Chandrakar and Dr Vikash Chandrakar from job aspirants, after allegedly assuring them that leaked CGPSC-2021 examination papers would be supplied. The money laundering investigation stems from two FIRs registered by the Economic Offences Wing/Anti Corruption Bureau, Raipur, and the Central Bureau of Investigation, ACB, Raipur, against Taman Singh Sonwani, the then chairman of CGPSC, and others.
Evidence gathered during the investigation, statements recorded under the law, digital evidence recovered from Chandrakar’s mobile phone and bank statements allegedly established his involvement in the generation, acquisition, possession, concealment, layering, transfer and use of proceeds of crime, the agency said.
