Vinod Verma, political advisor to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, said on Wednesday that his family members have been summoned by the ED. He said that ED has also summoned both my sons. Sanad Vinod Verma was questioned by central agency ED last week in a case related to alleged betting and gambling app. Vinod Verma posted a picture with family members on X and said that he has dropped them at the ED office in Raipur.
However, Vinod Verma did not tell in which case these people have been summoned. Vinod Verma posted on X (formerly Twitter) and said- ED has now called my family. I have left my two sons Punarvasu and Tathagata and brother-in-law Tukendra Verma at the ED office. My wife Jaya has been called yesterday. The agencies can do whatever they want on their orders but they cannot break the morale of Bhupesh Baghel and his team.
The ED had recorded the statements of Vinod Verma and Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Chief Minister Manish Banchhor under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on August 28. On August 23, the ED had raided the properties of Vinod Verma and two OSDs Ashish Verma and Manish Banchhor in connection with the money laundering probe into the alleged illegal betting app ‘Mahadev Online Book’. Assistant sub-inspector Chandrabhushan Verma, alleged hawala operator brothers Anil and Sunil Dammani and Satish Chandrakar were arrested the same day in the case.
ED sources say the arrested policeman allegedly used his connections with Vinod Verma to influence high-ranking officials and politicians in Chhattisgarh. He also used hawala funds received from Dubai. The ED had said that Saurabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal, residents of Bhilai, a town in Durg district, are the main promoters of the app. Both are operating business from Dubai. Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had criticized the BJP-led central government for the action.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had alleged that the ED and Income Tax Department raids on his associates were an attempt to defame the state government. Vinod Verma said in a press conference on August 24 that he does not have even a single penny of ill-gotten gains. Vinod Verma had termed the ED raid as robbery and claimed that the agency confiscated the jewelery found from his house despite showing the purchase bills.
