A cache of what investigators described as “forensically damning” material, seizure of cash and recovery of electronic records marked the culmination of a day-long Enforcement Directorate Raipur Zonal Office (ED-RPZO) operation across Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, as the agency intensified its money-laundering probe into the alleged Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) recruitment scam. The coordinated operation, which concluded late Wednesday evening, covered nine premises across Bhilai, Durg, Rajnandgaon and Raipur. Search teams examined financial records, digital devices, property-related documents and communication data as part of efforts to trace the alleged proceeds of crime emerging from the controversial recruitment process. Among the premises searched were the Sector-10 residence of former CGPSC Secretary J.K. Dhruv in Bhilai, the Talpuri residence of retired IAS officer and former Governor’s Secretary Amrit Kumar Xalxo in Durg district, the Raipur residence of former CGPSC Examination Controller Aarti Wasnik and locations linked to Bhupendra Ganveer, brother of jailed accused Lalit Ganveer. Official sources indicated that approximately Rs 8 lakh in cash was seized from the residence of Utkarsh Chandrakar, who is understood to have been associated with former CGPSC Chairman Taman Singh Sonwani.

 

Investigators are examining the relevance of the cash recovery and whether it bears any connection to the alleged money trail under scrutiny. Armed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel accompanied the ED teams during the searches. The present action stems from the predicate offence investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has already filed chargesheets and effected multiple arrests in connection with alleged irregularities in CGPSC recruitment examinations conducted between 2020 and 2022. Knowledgeable sources familiar with the broader probe said the ED is examining whether financial benefits flowed through a network allegedly linking selected candidates, CGPSC functionaries, intermediaries and private coaching operators. Sources associated with the earlier CBI investigation claimed that digital evidence recovered during previous searches had pointed towards possible collusion involving examination insiders and individuals connected with coaching establishments. Investigators are also examining financial trails connected to multiple recruitment examinations conducted between 2019 and 2022, a period during which more than two dozen recruitment processes for various State services and departmental posts were held. The agency is analysing whether suspected irregularities extended beyond the selections already identified during the CBI probe.

 

Notably, the CBI investigation has so far led to the arrest of former CGPSC Chairman Taman Singh Sonwani, industrialist Shravan Kumar Goyal, Lalit Ganveer, Nitesh Sonwani, Shashank Goyal, Bhumika Katiyar and Sahil Sonwani. The Bureau filed its first chargesheet before the Special CBI Court in Raipur on January 16, 2025. The CBI carried out extensive groundwork and we are following evidentiary trails that emerged from that investigation. Material seized during today’s operation is being examined to determine whether confidential examination processes were compromised and whether recruitment outcomes were influenced through organised and non-merit-based means during multiple recruitment cycles,” knowledgeable sources privy to the operation told The Hitavada on condition of anonymity. Sources further revealed that forensic experts have been tasked with extracting and analysing data from hard drives, mobile devices, electronic storage media and communication records to establish timelines of interactions, financial transactions and digital linkages among persons under scrutiny. “The forensic examination is expected to help reconstruct the operational structure behind the alleged recruitment fraud and may widen the scope of the investigation,” the sources added.