The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday searched the premises of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot’s brother Agrasen Gehlot at Jodhpur and a dozen other locations in Rajasthan, West Bengal, Delhi and Gujarat in connection with a money laundering probe in a fertiliser scam.
The agency conducted the searches at 13 locations across the four States, including the Jodhpur premises of Agrasen Gehlot, who is facing Rs 7 crore Customs penalty in the alleged fertiliser scam, officials said.
The ED has filed a criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) taking cognisance of a Customs Department complaint and chargesheet in the alleged fertiliser scam.
The agency began the synchronised searches early on Wednesday at six places in Rajasthan, four in Gujarat, two in West Bengal and one location in Delhi.
ED sleuths were assisted by personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) during searches at the farmhouse and residence of the Agrasen Gehlot in Jodhpur.
The ED searches came just a day after the CBI questioned a Congress MLA Krishna Poonia and OSD to Rajasthan CM Devaram Saini in connection with the alleged suicide of a police official in Churu district on May 23.
The action by the Central agencies also coincided with the political upheaval in the State due to the tussle between CM Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot.
The ED action came after the agency filed a criminal Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) (FIR in police parlance) in a 2007-09 Customs Department case relating to alleged irregularities in the supply of subsidised Muriate of Potash (MOP) to farmers. The Customs case probe had concluded in 2013 with the filing of a chargesheet.
The subsidised fertiliser meant to be supplied to farmers was allegedly exported despite a ban on export of the item.
Agrasain Gehlot is the promoter of a seeds and fertiliser company named as Anupam Krishi that was allegedly involved in the diversion and export of the subsidised fertiliser, sources said.
The premises of a former Congress MP, who is alleged to have business ties with Agrasain Gehlot, was also searched by the ED.
Agrasain Gehlot and his company have been slapped with a Customs penalty of about Rs 7 crore in this alleged fertiliser supply scam worth Rs 60 crore, the sources further said.
The ED is also probing an alleged forex law violation case against a Jaipur-based businessman Ratan Kant Sharma, who is alleged to have had business ties with CM Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav in the past.
On July 13, the Income Tax Department had carried out multiple raids at over 40 premises of three Rajasthan-based business groups on tax evasion charges leading to the seizure of about Rs 12 crore cash and incriminating documents.
The IT Department searches related to premises linked to two State Congress leaders and a business group said to be close to the top party leadership in the State.