Vinod Verma, who serves as the political advisor to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, said on Thursday that the Enforcement Directorate took away the gold despite producing all the bills pertaining to it. Reacting to the raids carried out by the investigation agency on his premises on Wednesday, Verma stated that the agency took the gold, saying that there was no strong proof to verify from where the gold was bought.
"...I have produced all the bills for the gold recovered from my house...Still, ED took away all the gold saying that there was no strong proof to verify from where the gold had been bought...They are redefining IPC and CrPC," Vinod Verma said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
The ED on Wednesday conducted raids at the residential premises of Vinod Verma. In a sarcastic post on social media platform X, the chief minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for giving him the "priceless gift" on his birthday. Baghel wrote “Respected Prime Minister and Amit Shah! Thank you very much for the priceless gift you have given me on my birthday by sending ED to my political advisor, my OSD and my close friends’ homes."
The ED has been investigating different cases in Chhattisgarh pertaining to an alleged coal scam, liquor scam, irregularities in the District Mineral Foundation fund, and an online betting application. The Enforcement Directorate also raided multiple premises linked to the Jharkhand finance minister's son and others in a liquor scam-linked money laundering case on Wednesday.
The investigation agency raided the premises of Rohit Oraon, son of Jharkhand Minister Rameshwar Oraon, in connection with a liquor scam.