IAS officer Chandrakala, SP leader get ED summon

| | New Delhi
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IAS officer Chandrakala, SP leader get ED summon

Saturday, 19 January 2019 | PNS | New Delhi

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued summons to four accused persons, including IAS officer B Chandrakala and a Samajwadi Party (SP) leader, in connection with an alleged illegal mining scam case in Uttar Pradesh.

The ED had registered a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognisance of a CBI FIR to probe illegal mining of minor minerals (sand and gravel) in the Hamirpur area between 2012 and 2016.

The CBI has said it is probing the role of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav too in the case as he had held the mining portfolio during this period.

Chandrakala and SP MLC Ramesh Kumar Mishra had been summoned by the ED to appear before the Investigating Officer of the case in Lucknow on January 24 and 28 respectively. Besides Chandrakala and Mishra, the ED has summoed two more officials to appear before it next week, sources said.

The ED is probing the money trail and whether the alleged proceeds of crime generated due to the kickbacks received in these cases were laundered by the accused.

The agency will also look for assets, both immovable and movable, of the accused that can be attached under the anti-money laundering law after establishing the proceeds of crime. The CBI had carried out searches at 14 locations earlier this month in connection with its FIR against 11 persons including IAS officer Chandrakala, Mishra and Sanjay Dixit (who had unsuccessfully contested the 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls on a BSP ticket), to probe the alleged illegal mining of minor minerals in Hamirpur district during 2012-16.

The role of the then mining ministers of the State is also under the scanner of the ED.

Yadav, who was the CM of the State between 2012 and 2017, held the mining portfolio during 2012-13, a reason why his role is under the scanner for investigation, according to the CBI FIR.

He was succeeded by Gayatri Prajapati, who took charge as the mining minister in 2013 and was arrested in 2017 following a complaint of rape by a woman residing in Chitrakoot.

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