Ex-Congress treasurer detained; EOW cites diary entries, to quiz him in coal, liquor probes

RAIPUR: Former Chhattisgarh Congress treasurer Ramgopal Agrawal, who had remained at large to investigators for a prolonged period, was detained by the state's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Wednesday for questioning in the alleged coal levy case, with the agency saying it would also interrogate him in the liquor and paddy-related investigations.In a statement issued after taking him into custody, the EOW said Agrawal had been unavailable for investigation for a considerable period and that a permanent warrant had been issued against him by a court under the prevention of corruption Act.The agency chief Amresh Mishra said it is confronting Agrawal with documents, digital evidence, a seized diary and other material collected during the investigation. According to the EOW, a diary seized from alleged coal levy case accused Suryakant Tiwari- a businessman contained entries showing payments worth crores of rupees in the name of "Congress Bhavan".

The agency alleged that its investigation so far indicates the money was received by Agrawal.Investigators said Agrawal is being questioned about the diary entries, the source of the funds, the persons who allegedly delivered the cash, its receipt and its subsequent use. The EOW said it is also examining his alleged role in the coal levy case, his contacts with other accused, financial transactions and coordination with those allegedly involved in the network.

The agency further claimed that in the paddy-related case, the EOW alleged that businessman Roshan Chandrakar routed crores of rupees to Agrawal at the party office. Investigators said he will be questioned about the alleged delivery of funds, their utilisation and the role of other persons connected with the transactions.Agrawal's appearance before the agency came after the EOW questioned his son, Vaibhav Agrawal, over the past two days.

Officials said the questioning was part of the ongoing investigation into the same cases.The alleged liquor scam pertains to accusations of irregularities in the state's liquor distribution system between 2019 and 2022, while the alleged coal levy scam concerns purported illegal collections from coal transporters. The custom milling case relates to irregularities in incentive payments made to rice millers.