State scan: Big scam involving small politicians in Chhattisgarh

The issue has not posed a political challenge for Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel or the Congress

A senior executive of one of India’s largest conglomerates having steel operations across the globe was stunned to get notice from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in November last year.

The agency asked him to report for recording statements under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. After completing the home work, the executive turned up at the ED office in Raipur.

The officers gave him a questionnaire and asked him: When did the company start paying an extortion sum of Rs 25 per tonne, and why? Without any falter, the executive said: “I don’t recall the