New Delhi [India], September 2 (ANI): The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Utkarsh Chandrakar, nephew of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel’s PA KK Chandrakar, for collecting Rs 3 crore in cash from job aspirants against the assurance of supplying the leaked question papers of Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC)-2021.
ED’s Raipur zonal office arrested Utkarsh on September 1 following search operations carried out at five premises located in the districts of Raipur, Durg, Dhamtari and Jashpur in Chhattisgarh, under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the alleged irregularities, question-paper leak and corruption in the recruitment process conducted by Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) in 2020 and 2021.
In a statement citing its investigation, ED said, generation of Proceeds of Crime of “more than Rs 3 crore by Utkarsh Chandrakar and Dr Vikash Chandrakar, collected in cash from job aspirants against the assurance of supplying the leaked question papers of CGPSC-2021 examination, out of which an amount of Rs 2.80 crore was handed over to one Anil Chandrakar.”
ED said Utkarsh Chandrakar used the name, position and influence of KK Chandravanshi, the then Personal Assistant to the then chief minister of Chhattisgarh and his maternal uncle, and also of the then Officer on Special Duty in the office of the then Chief Minister, for influencing job aspirants and collecting money from them.
ED investigation was initiated on the basis of two First Information Reports (FIRs) registered by the Economic Offences Wing, Anti-Corruption Branch, and Central Bureau of Investigation in Raipur, against Taman Singh Sonwani, the then Chairman of the CGPSC and others for alleged large-scale irregularities, manipulation and corruption in the CGPSC State Service Examinations conducted during 2020-2021.
ED further said its investigation revealed that the question papers of the CGPSC examinations were leaked to the relatives of the accused persons and to selected candidates through private brokers in exchange for illegal gratification, thereby securing fraudulent selections to senior public posts including those of Deputy Collector and Deputy Superintendent of Police.
“Previously conducted searches in the matter on June 3 this year and based upon the evidence gathered, statements recorded under Section 50 of PMLA, 2002, the digital evidence retrieved from his mobile phone and analysis of his bank statements, it was established that Utkarsh Chandrakar was knowingly indulged in processes and activities connected with the Proceeds of Crime, including their generation, acquisition, possession, concealment, layering, transfer, use and projection as untainted property,” said the ED.
Accordingly, the agency said it arrested Utkarsh Chandrakar on September 1, 2026, under Section 19 of the PMLA, 2002.
It further said that the September 1 search operation resulted in the seizure of incriminating documents, digital devices, financial records, property-related documents and other evidence relevant to the investigation. (ANI)
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